Queen of Hearts
by Freeverse
Summary: Remy LeBeau can't seem to forget about his fight with Rogue. When the two decide on a rematch, will they get more than they bargained for? Guess who's back from the dead! Complete with a cliff-hanger - look for the sequel, King of Hearts.
1. Cat Eyes

Queen of Hearts  
  
Chapter One: Cat Eyes  
  
* ~ *  
  
*Gambit *  
  
Me? Je m'appelle Remy Le Beau. My friends always call me Gambit, cause I was always getting' outta trouble one way or another. Yeah, 'm a mutant, but really, who isn't? Most of my friends were mutants themselves. Even ma petite amie, Belle, had her own powers. Jus' what happens in de wild city of New Orleans, non?  
  
I bet y'r wonderin' why I chose t' "walk on the wild side"- t' be de mauvais garcon. It sure as hell beats bein' de goody-goody. I've been down dat road before, before I joined wit de t'ieves, an it was no fun at all. Besides, good guys have no sex appeal.  
  
Magneto's cronies weren't mon first choice of a good mutant group t' join, but de needed a t'ief, an how could I be a gentleman if I said non?  
  
Bayville isn't my idea of a town. There's not'ing to do 'round here, 'cept maybe- Golly Gee- go t' some diner and listen t' "records." Dat's my idea of a fun time. Plus, all the filles 'round here just don't seem t' be worth my time. Well, dat's all o' 'em 'side dat green-eyed girl. T'ink de called her Rogue.  
  
I was so flattered dat she wanted a piece of Gambit, but hey, who wouldn't? Too bad Magneto wanted me t' knock her out. I keep wonderin' if dat almost-kiss would've been any good...  
  
But what's de use? Magneto told me 'bout her powers afterwards, dat kissin' de fille woulda been "futile." Woulda ended up in a hospital!  
  
Mebbe it's worth it, non? Perhaps I should pursue dis Rogue. 'Sides, it'd give me somet'ing t' do around dis Gayville.  
  
* ~ *  
  
*Rogue*  
  
"Are you sure you're, like, all right?" Kitty Pryde asked her gothic friend in the hall. "I mean, like, if it hurts you, I could carry your books or, like, something."  
  
"Ah'm fine," Rogue said quietly, digging her nails into the hardback cover of her World History book. Her voice suddenly gained volume. "An if any of y'all say one more thang about what happened with mah powers, ah'm gonna scream. Ah'm much better now, okay?"  
  
Kitty winced. "Sorry, I guess I, like, deserved that, bugging you and all."  
  
She sighed and was about to reply when a tap on the shoulder nearly sent her out of her skin. She wheeled to face Gambit.  
  
"What are you doin' here?" she asked. Her voice was laced with distinct contempt. "An in contact with me nonetheless." She shuddered.  
  
"Ah, cherie, so we meet again," he told Rogue, and then glanced at Kitty. "Bonjour, Mademoiselle."  
  
Kitty giggled, but Rogue only rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Cajun. What do you want? An make it quick. Ah'm not missin' first hour cause of you."  
  
Gambit smiled mock-innocently. "Can't a guy jus' have a simple conversation with a girl?"  
  
"Ah guess not," Rogue said finally.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll leave you two alone for your, like, simple conversation. See you second hour, Rogue," Kitty said, walking off.  
  
Rogue did not like being alone with him. She especially didn't like the way his cat-eyes kept roaming over her body. "You got a starin' problem?" she demanded.  
  
"Désolé, chere, mais il aiderait si vous n'étiez pas si agréable pour regarder," he replied with a grin. "Vous devez traiter n'est pas si joli."  
  
"Urgh, ah took French ya know," she replied through gritted teeth.  
  
"Qui a dit que j'ai fait le besoin pas vous pour savoir que j'ai dit?"  
  
"Stop it!" she yelled.  
  
A few people turned to stare at the two.  
  
"Que? J'ai pensé vous avez parlé français."  
  
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Ah thought y'all came here t' 'talk,' not try an impress me with y'r 'français.'"  
  
"Amende. Okay, chere. You caught me. Gambit's jus' disappointed dat he never got to finish our lil' fight. T'ought I could tempt ya int' a rematch. Whadda ya say, hmmm?"  
  
Rogue cringed. "Not on y'r life! Whatever ya did t' me, y'r lucky, cause I could take y'all out in second!"  
  
Remy smirked. "Is dat a challenge?"  
  
"Ah-"  
  
The late bell rang and Rogue glared at him.  
  
"Sorry, didn't mean t' make you late," he said with an apologetic smile and a shrug. "Jus' t'ink about my offer, chere. If you t'ink you can beat Gambit, den we'll see if you can, fair an square."  
  
"Fair an square?" she repreated. "Ah hardly think you can't fight dirty."  
  
She remembered their last battle, with the exploding Queen of Hearts. Rogue had only looked into his strange cat eyes, and suddenly the world around her melted. She excepted the charged card like it was some great gift. All because of his eyes.  
  
"All right, ah accept y'r-" she began, but when Rogue looked around, Gambit was already gone. Beneath her feet lie the Queen of Hearts.  
  
Her first instinct was to jump back, but she realized this card wasn't charged. Rogue bent down to pick it up. She turned it over and there was a message. "Me rencontrer au parc de Bayville demain à 6:00," it said.  
  
She thought for a moment. "Meet me at Bayville Park tomorrow at 6:00."  
  
Rogue frowned. Was he mocking her, thinking that she wouldn't come? She would come, all right! That Cajun was going down!  
  
Principal Kelly walked by and she gulped. First, she had to come up with a good excuse to be five minutes late to class!  
  
* ~ *  
  
Your friendly translations:  
  
Je m'appelle Remy LeBeau= My name is Remy LeBeau  
  
mauvais garcon= bad boy  
  
Désolé, chere, mais il aiderait si vous n'étiez pas si agréable pour regarder= Sorry, dear, but it would help if you weren't so nice to look at.  
  
Vous devez traiter n'est pas si joli= You need to work on not being so pretty.  
  
Qui a dit que j'ai fait le besoin pas vous pour savoir que j'ai dit= Who said I didn't want you to know what I said?  
  
Que? J'ai pensé vous avez parlé français. = What? I thought you spoke French.  
  
Amende= fine  
  
Me rencontrer au parc de Bayville demain à 6:00= Meet me at Bayville park tomorrow at 6:00 (if you didn't see Rogue translate for you)  
  
Author's note: A few lines are exact French, cuz I have one year of the language on my belt, but a lot is from a translator and may not be exactly what it would be in French, kind of a general idea.  
  
Also, I know when Gambit gave Rogue the exploding card, he didn't have "cat eyes" but work with me here. Every other episode thereafter, he's had them, so let's just pretend.  
  
And NO, this will not be a sappy romance. It will be a playing-hard-to-get, I hate you but I like you classic R&R storyline. Reviews will be much appreciated! 


	2. Rendezvous

Queen of Hearts  
  
Chapter Three: Rendezvous  
  
* ~ *  
  
The park was filled with more people than Remy expected on a Tuesday afternoon, but he had soon realized that the inhabitants of this Brady town had nothing better to do. He almost missed the wild, carefree home he had come from. Watching children laugh and play, Gambit was reminded of the family he had left behind. It was the only family he had ever known.  
  
Who woulda t'ought dat I'd end up with a bunch o' t'ieves, he thought to himself with a small smile. Guess back den, it didn't matter who took me in, jus' so long as I got some food. B'fore de t'ieves, I only stole t' survive, but den stealin' f'r money was de most excitin' t'ing I'd done in my life...  
  
The young man shook the thoughts from his head. This wasn't the time or place to think about those things. After all, anytime Rogue would arrive for the rematch. He just wished she would hurry up so he could leave soon.  
  
"Ready t' tussle, sugah?"  
  
Remy grinned at Rogue wickedly. She looked too cute today in comfy black pants, a green, long-sleeved shirt that fell off her shoulders and displayed her muscular stomach, and a pair of black combats. Quite controversial for a fight, Remy thought, chuckling. Although, her breath- taking appearance gave the Cajun an idea.  
  
"Oui yes, chere," he said. "But on one condition."  
  
"An what's that?" she retorted, hands on her hips.  
  
"Dat we have a prize for de winner. How about whoever wins gets t' pick de place for our date."  
  
"An tell me what's exactly in it f'r me. After all, we're still goin' on a date," she said with a roll of her eyes. "How about if ah win, which ah'm gonna do, you'll stop pesterin' me?"  
  
Gambit shook his head. "Dat I can't promise, chere. Remy might get lonely without his petite amie."  
  
"In y'r dreams, creep! Ah'd never be y'r girl-friend in a million years!"  
  
He took her gloved hand and kissed it. "I do believe we've already met in mon dreams, non? We must find another place t' rendezvous."  
  
Rogue wiped the slimy kiss on her pants. "Ewww, don't you evah do that again!"  
  
The charmer chuckled. "Well den I guess we're ready for de fight, although Remy don' know if it'd be appropriate 'round all dese chillen children- Remy talk, not French an such."  
  
"It was y'r idea, anyway," Rogue snapped. "An do you always talk about y'rself in third person?"  
  
"Oui yes, most of de time. Qui why?"  
  
"Don't people find it annoyin'?"  
  
He shrugged. "I dunno. Not many people say anyt'ing 'bout it. Do you?"  
  
"Ah find most thangs about you annoyin'," she snapped. "But ah guess we should get straight t' fight."  
  
"Ladies fires," he said with a small smile.  
  
She took the invitation and threw the first punch.  
  
Gambit didn't bother dodging the blow. His original theory that Rogue couldn't hurt him because she was a girl was quickly proven wrong as her fist slammed squarely into his jaw. The girl threw a mean punch, all right!  
  
"Chere, can't we play nice?" he asked, charging a playing card behind his back. "Your behavior is not very ladylike."  
  
She laughed. "You've got a lot o' nerve, you know! Ah thought y'all said you could beat me!"  
  
He threw the card at her feet. It exploded on contact, throwing Rogue back a few feet. "Remy asked nicely," he mocked.  
  
Rogue groaned and quickly forced herself up from the ground. "Hilarious, Cajun," she said sarcastically. "But the fight ain't over yet. Ah gotta lot more ticks up mah sleeve, too."  
  
Gambit smiled. "An what's dat, chere?"  
  
"You'll see."  
  
By this time, the humans had cleared out of the park. After only a few mutant fights, normal people had adapted to running and screaming. Remy and Rogue were completely alone.  
  
Rogue was beginning to think Gambit hadn't lured her here just for a rematch. Heart hammering, she circled the boy ready for his next move.  
  
"You know, it's a pity dat you ain't part o' Maggie's gang, too," he said. "You're much to good of a fighter for de X-Freaks you hang wit."  
  
She found herself glaring and jumping to her teammate's defense. "Those 'X-Freaks' are mah friends," she snarled. "Ah sure as hell don' see y'all hangin' in a clique t' call y'r own."  
  
"You know you're very cute when you're angry," Remy said with a smirk. "Too bad about your powers, non?"  
  
Rogue flinched. His comment had struck a nerve, even though she was sure he hadn't meant it in a bad way. It was some sort of compliment in his eyes. "Ah wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole!"  
  
As though to demonstrate the point, she gave Gambit a nice roundhouse kick. "An apparently, many people feel th' same way about y'r cockiness."  
  
He swept Rogue to the floor and threw a card, which she rolled to avoid. "Remy has lots o' filles dat like him."  
  
She tried to hit him, but he dodged. Going for a second blow, Rogue grunted. "Yeah, well, maybe it's all about looks. Perhaps the way y'all see gals?"  
  
"Non, chere, I like de filles wit de cerveaux brains as well as de corps body," he said. Her punch sent him stumbling backwards, but he quickly recovered and countered with an exploding card.  
  
"Do y'all have t' use y'r powers all th' time?" Rogue snapped as she winced in pain. "Ah mean, ah ain't usin' mahn."  
  
"I might like it too much, non?"  
  
Rogue tried to crawl backwards, but Remy took her hand and pulled her up. "Let's be friends, okay, chere?"  
  
She looked at him suspiciously. "But ah thought-"  
  
"You proved you could beat Remy by lastin' dat long," he said with a smile.  
  
"Y'all didn't even try t'-"  
  
"Friends?" he asked. Suddenly, he was much too close to Rogue for comfort. "How 'bout we seal it wit a kiss?"  
  
Rogue gasped as realization hit her. He didn't want to fight her! He wanted a kiss. But she could kill him! Why would he want to kiss her of all people? He knew about her powers. "No, a simple handshake'll do," she said rather nervously. She tried to push him away, but he only drew closer to her.  
  
"But what's de fun it dat?"  
  
"Knock it off! Ah might hurt ya! Don't even joke 'bout things like that!"  
  
He smirked. "Who said I was jokin'?"  
  
Remy was so close Rogue could smell the cigarette and cologne on his trenchcoat. "Please. Gambit. don't," she said, trying to free herself from his grasp.  
  
He frowned and pulled away. "If I'm dat repulsive."  
  
Rogue felt herself stiffen. Who did he think he was? "Look, ah never said that. Ah'm just untouchable. Even someone dense as you can understand that."  
  
"Ou peut-être vous ne voulez pas me toucher or maybe you don't want to touch me," he mumbled.  
  
Rogue didn't know why, but she felt herself walking towards the Cajun. With one sudden, irrational movement, she grabbed him by his shirt collar and gave him the most passionate kiss she could before her powers sucked the life force out of him.  
  
He tasted like an ashtray with a hint of minty-freshness. Her knees grew weak at the tang as Remy groaned and began to collapse.  
  
She wasn't a girl for mushy stuff, but she couldn't help this thought: Could ah love this guy that ah hate so much. Do ah. like Remy more than ah want t' admit?  
  
* ~ *  
  
Cute? Please read and review. *blows kisses* 


	3. Repercussions

Queen of Hearts 

Chapter Four: Repercussions 

* ~ * 

Rogue felt the familiar dizziness as Remy's thoughts and psyche threatened to overwhelm her. She held firm despite the wave of crushing power that rushed over her body as Gambit lie comatose on the ground. 

Thoughts, memories, emotions… they were fighting to replace Rogue's own. With a deep, breath, she tried to sort them out. After all, the young mutant was curious to find out exactly what Gambit thought of her. 

_"I want you to keep the X-Men under surveillance," Magneto said to Remy. "I know little about these new recruits of his. I want to find out all I can about them."_

_ He waved the comment away with his hand. "Aucun problème no problem," he said with a smile. Gambit pulled out a file, obviously having memorized its place, and set it in front of Magnus. "But what is dis girl's name? She's de fille Remy fought, isn't she?"_

_ Magneto smirked and looked at the picture. "That? It's Rogue. She's one of Xavier's pupils."_

_ "Elle très belle she is very beautiful," he said in a whisper. "What's she doin' wit' dem?"_

_ "Don't tell me you have a crush on the girl?" the master of magnetism said with a small smile. When Gambit didn't reply, he laughed. "You are taken with her, aren't you?"_

_ "What if I do like her?" Remy asked defensively. "Would it be so bad? After all, she jus' a girl. It don' mean Remy loves her or anyt'ing."_

_ "Of all the girls, you have to pick her," Magneto chuckled. "How ironic. Don't you know what her power is?"_

_ "Oui, t' absorb peoples powers, thoughts, an memories t'rough skin t' skin contact," he replied. "What's so bad about dat?"_

_ "The problem is, dear Gambit, that Rogue cannot control her powers. You couldn't so much as touch her without waking up in a hospital bed."_

_ Gambit snatched the file back from his current guardian and looked at her information again. "It don' say anyt'ing about dat in here," he said angrily._

_ Magneto rolled his eyes and tapped the second page where it discussed the dangers of her uncontrollable powers, family, and other information. "You were obviously too busy staring at the picture to read anything else than the second page."_

_ He decided to ignore Magneto's chiding. "Does she have a petite amie?"_

_ "You really do have a thing for her, don't you?" Magnus asked exasperatedly. "I guess it's for our team's benefit that you have an interest in our little rogue. I want you to get as close as you can to her."_

Rogue gasped as another memory hit her. It must have been before Gambit moved to Bayville, for she saw all of these strange people and places. Having never been to New Orleans herself, the mental registration of "home" that Gambit's memories sent out was the only way she knew this.

_"Ah, c'mon, chere," Gambit said to the shapely dread-locked blonde. "Jus' one night. Ask around. You'll never regret it. Remy'll show ya th' night of y'r life."_

_ She rolled her azure eyes in annoyance with his pathetic attempts of flirting. "I told ya, Remy. I don' date t'ieves. It's against de Assassin's Code. 'm désolé, but I still say no."_

_ "Who cares 'bout t'ieves or assassin's? Is y'r family gonna be on de date?"_

_ "No!" she replied, disgusted with the idea. "O' course not!"_

_ "Den why should we worry 'bout what de t'ink, Belle?"_

_ Belle grinned. "You don' give up, do ya, Rem?"_

_ The charmer shook his head. "No."_

_ "Okay, one date. Un one. An dat's it. Do I make myself clear?"_

_ "Very," Remy answered with a sly smile. "But 'm sure Remy can change your mind."_

The memory faded, but was soon replaced with another.

_"You need a t'ief, do you... Magnus, is it?" Jean-Luc, Remy's surrogate father inquired. "Mon filsmy son is a respectable t'ief, as well as one o' dese mutants you keep talkin' about. I suppose you came here wantin' his services. But dere are many other talented t'ieves out dere. Can I not interest you in another?"_

_ The silver-haired man known as Magneto shook his head. "No. I want him."_

_ Remy looked at his father. "Non," he whisper. "Je ne desire pas aller aveclui I don't want to go with him."_

_ Magneto looked at Jean-Luc. "Is there a problem? I am willing to pay substantially for his assistance. How does... a three thousand a month sound?"_

_ "I don' know..." Jean-Luc. "My boy doesn't want t' leave his little petite amie behind. You'll have to offer a bit more. Just un peu (a little) more."_

_ "Ten thousand," he said testily._

_ "Dix (ten) t'ousand a month?! I only said un peu!" he replied, surprised._

_ "Would you like me to offer less?"_

_ "Non, non! C'est bon! It's good. Merci beaucoup Thank you very much."_

_ Remy turned to Jean-Luc. "Le père, s'il vous plaît me dire je ne dois pas partir. Je suis heureux ici. Je ne veux pas partir avec cette aberration de gris haired." _

_Father, please tell me I do not have to leave. I'm happy here. I don't want to leave with this gray-haired freak_

_ Jean-Luc narrowed his dark brown eyes. "Vous pensez que je ne sait pas cela? Mais cet homme offre beaucoup d'argent sur la table! Pourquoi vous ne commencez pas à penser de notre famille au lieu de vous? La beauté est seulement une fille, vous trouverez beaucoup d'autres. S'il vous plaît, aller avec cet homme. Je vous promets ne devra pas rester avec lui long. Seulement assez long pour le garder heureux, approuver?"_

_ You think I don't know that? But this man is offering a lot of money on the table! Why don't you start thinking about our family instead of yourself? Belle is only a girl, you will find many others. Please, go with this man. I promise you won't have to stay with him long. Just long enough to keep him happy, okay?_

_ Gambit didn't answer._

_ "Si vous plait please?" he begged._

_ "Amende fine."_

_ Jean-Luc grinned and then beamed at Magneto. "See, c'est bon! He say he will go, as long as you keep your deal."_

_ "Yes, yes," he snapped, rather irritated. "You humans and your money."_

_ Remy looked at his father with hatred. "Just a fille," he muttered. "Even if I find another like her, it still won't matter. What about my friends and my family? Does he even care? It's not fair..."_

A shrill voice interrupted Rogue's thoughts, snapping her back into reality. Where was she?

"There! That's the mutie I saw fighting earlier!" a woman screamed to a police man while pointing an accusing finger at Rogue. "There was another, a boy with glowing red eyes!"

Oh yeah, Rogue thought. Ah'm at the park, after ah kissed Gambit.

Emerald eyes fell upon his lifeless form. Right, an it wasn't the smartest move, either, she scolded herself. Kiss th' guy an give him what he wants and then get his memories all mixed up in y'r head...

The officer reached where Rogue was standing and saw the boy's unconscious body. Suspecting the worst, he cautiously said, "Miss, you're going to have to come with me."

Great, now you're gonna be jail bait too, she thought morosely. "Officer, it isn't what y'all think."

"I saw it with my own eyes!" the woman exclaimed. "She sucked the life right outta him!"

Rogue groaned. "Lady, will you get a grip?" she asked, turning to the frantic blonde. "Jesus Christ, it was only temporary. He'll be fine in an hour or so."

"An hour or so?" the officer repeated. "What exactly did you do to him?"

"Ah used mah scary mutant power t' knock him out," Rogue snapped sarcastically. "What do you think ah did?"

"Miss, I'm afraid this is a serious crime..."

Gawd, there has t' be someway outta this predicament! Unfortunately, the only power she had against these two nutcases was her touch, and Rogue had enough memories in her head for the moment.

"Wait..." she whispered. "Mah pow'rs! Ah've got Gambit's powers!"

"You what?" the man asked.

"See! She's a lunatic!"

Rogue reached into her back pocket and held the queen of hearts Remy had given her. As if in reaction to her hands, the card began to glow red beneath her touch. She marveled at the tingling sensation in her fingertips as the card began to hum.

"Don't move!"

The officer pulled out a gun and guarded the blonde. "Put down your...er... weapon."

Rogue grinned. "Comme vous souhaitez As you wish****."

The card was thrown right in front of his feet.

"Au reviour, chere," she said just before the card exploded and sent the two flying backwards. "Mon grandiose fin grand finish/finale was pretty explosive, non?"

Rogue ran off, trying to shake Gambit and his slimy thoughts from her head. "Gawd, now ah'm talkin' like the creep!" she whined. "Please say he'll get outta mah head b'fore ah get back t' th' Institute!"

* ~ *

Remy LeBeau rubbed his head gingerly. "What de hell happened?" he asked himself, realizing that he was lying down in the middle of a grassy park.

The memory returned to him after some difficulty. He had come here to "fight" Rogue, but it had been only an excuse to catch a kiss from the Southern bombshell. Only the kiss had knocked him out, and apparently his lip-locking partner had ran off without even helping him.

"Why do I get dis feelin' dat Rogue, she don' like me too well?" Remy asked wryly.

"Oh well, dere's plenty o' time for Remy t' grow on her, non?"

Gambit pushed himself up from the ground with a grunt. "As soon as Remy gets home... oh, de headache! She's not'in' but trouble...!"

A smile spread across his face despite his pain. "Mais kisser quel fantastique! But what a fantastic kisser!"

* ~ *

"What, like, took you so long, Rogue?" Kitty asked at the dinner table with a wicked grin and a twinkle in her hazel eyes. "Did you and Gambit, like, have a date?"

Rogue made a face. "Katherine Pryde, ah'd rather go on a date with _ Jamie_ before ah went out with that creature!" she exclaimed, receiving a crushed look from the boy. "No, offense," she said with a smile.

She piled some more mashed potatoes onto her plate and looked up to notice Cyclops staring at her strangely. "What in Gawd's name is wrong, Scott?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "I was just- Rogue, why is your lipstick smeared like that?"

Her hands flew to her face. "What are you talkin' about?"

Bobby laughed hysterically. "Ha ha, he's right, Rogue! It's all over your face! Looks like your whole head's purple! What did you do, make out with some one?"

She wiped the purple make-up from her lips rather forcefully. "Can it Drake!" she warned.

Amara gave Bobby a confused glance. "But she couldn't have, right? Her powers-"

"Bien sûr pas Of course not!" Rogue yelled back, angry French curses flying here and there. Her cheeks grew warm with mortification. "I didn't do anyt'ing..." she added, trying to get Gambit out of her head.

Kitty snickered. "Maybe she, like, kissed a certain Cajun?"

Kurt's yellow orbs widened. "You didn't..." he gasped.

Rogue, humiliated and enraged, ran off to her room without another room. The door slammed behind her, but it did not stop her friend's teasing.

"Whoa, I never thought she would-" Scott said incredulously.

Jean smiled. "She sure did! And it's about time, too!"

The red-head high-fived Kitty with a laugh. Leaning from her chair, she looked through the hallway towards Rogue's bedroom. "You go, girl!" she yelled loud enough for Rogue to hear.

"Fuck off, Grey!" Rogue shouted back rather huffily.

Bobby made hissing noises and clawed the air like a cat. "Someone's pissed."

Kitty turned to Nightcrawler with a smile half the size of her face. "Wow, like, they totally did kiss. And, like, don't you think they make the cutest couple?"

"I dunno," he replied. "I don't trust him viff mien sister."

"Oh lighten up..."

"I guess we can expect to see a lot more of Gambit around here," Bobby said with a smirk and a few hand gestures. "If you know what I mean."

"What _do_ you mean?" Jamie asked, puzzled.

* ~ *

Sorry it took so long. Multiple fan fictions to write. Not the brightest idea, huh? Well, more chapters coming up. Please review!!! Much love!

Also, if the French sucks, I'm sorry, but I am not Goddess of French. I break down and use a translator sometimes, but at least hopefully it's readable to all you French-speakers out there. :-)


	4. The Date

Queen of Hearts

Chapter Five: The Date

* ~ *

_"Ah'm just untouchable. Even someone dense as you can understand that."_

Remy LeBeau sighed, running a hand through his dark, tousled hair. He had lay on his bed all day long trying to sort out his thoughts. The only thought that came to him was Rogue, her kiss, her voice- everything about her! Of course, they weren't bad thoughts at all, but with the memories came the realization that he would never be able to really touch her for longer than three seconds.

Rogue was just a girl. He never cared for a girl. Remy was the king of flings and one-night stands. Why should this girl matter to him? She couldn't touch him! So why couldn't he stop thinking about her? Why did he want her so much?

Gambit was so deep in thought that he barely heard the door open. When he looked up, he saw Rogue standing in the door way. She wore a smirk, a low-cut green shirt, a ripped jean jacket, torn black jeans, and her usual combat boots. He blinked to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Ah thought we were goin' on a date, sugah."

Gambit grinned. "Didn't even give me a warnin', huh chere? 'Sides, I t'ought you were too grossed out wit de idea of goin' anywhere wit lil' ol' moi."

"A deals a deal," she replied coyly. "An ah got some questions f'r ya anyway."

"Remy got a question for you. How'd ya find me?"

Rogue tapped her forehead. "Unfortunately, ah had y'r slimy thoughts in mah head. That's how ah knew where y'all were hidin'."

"Who woulda t'ought a gal like you would be so brash?"

She rolled her eyes. "So where are we goin'?"

"T'ought you'd be de one pickin' de place."

"Ah know, but ah guess you technically won, gettin' what you wanted an all. Besides, ah bet you know tons more interestin' places around here. Bein' such a charmer."

"A compliment?" he asked, mock-incredulously. "D'accord okay, but only if we go t' New York. Gambit knows de best place t' hangout."

"Then what are ya waitin' f'r?" Rogue asked. She crossed her pale arms across her chest.

He laughed. "Patience, chere. Gambit needs t' get dressed for de occasion. You mind steppin' out, or ya plannin' on watchin'?"

"You wish," she snarled.

"Oh and chere?"

She turned around. "What?"

Remy smiled and looked her up and down. "I love de outfit. Trés very biker."

Rogue gave him the one-fingered salute before slamming the door behind her. "Asshole."

* ~ *

Gambit started up the Harley once the two of them were outside. "Hop on, chere?"

Rogue looked at the pink helmet he was offering with disgust. She shook her head. "No way in hell! Ah'll just ride without one. Ah _hate _pink!"

"Remy'd never forgive himself if he ruined your pretty lil' head. So put it on, si'l vous plait please."

She gave the Cajun a look of death and crammed the _thing_ on her head. "Happy now?" she asked while swinging her legs around the bike.

"Estactic," he said with a wink. Gambit revved up the engine. "Hang on, chere."

Reluctantly, Rogue wrapped her arms around his warm waist. "This better be a short trip," she mumbled as the bike sped off. She didn't like the idea of touching Remy like this. She didn't like the idea at all.

"So where is this place?" she shouted over the roar of the wind and engine. "An what's it called?"

"It's downtown an called Chez Benoît. Heard of it?"

She almost gasped. Chez Benoît was only one of the most exclusive and expensive restaurants in New York City! "How the hell do ya expect t' get a table? An ah thought we were goin' t' a major party spot, not some fancy diner."

"We'll eat dinner, den go t' dis special place not too far from Chez Benoît. An don't you worry, chere. Remy'll get a table. I have certain _connections_."

"_Sure_," she muttered, but he didn't hear her.

Rogue was glad she hadn't worn her usual skirt the way she was straddled over the seat and pressed firmly against Remy. However, she wished he had given her the chance to look proper. Then again, he wasn't dressed to impress, either. Unless one considered jeans, a wife beater, and a trench coat fancy.

Rogue enjoyed the closeness she and Remy were sharing way too much, and the thought frightened her. Guys like Gambit were a complete turn off. She liked nice, honest, and moral guys like Scott. Gambit was such a player. He didn't care about her in the least. So why did she want Gambit so much? Shouldn't she hate him?

He had an ego the size of Jupiter and reminded her of Johnny Bravo for Christ's sake! The first time Bobby had watched that stupid cartoon, Rogue had been struck with the comparison. Remy was a completely egotistical muscle head with a pretty face, too!

But he was so cute! And how many guys like Remy LeBeau would pay attention to her? Rogue was no Scarlet O'Hara. He would realize his mistake like all the others. She simply couldn't be touched, and nothing would ever make her attractive to hands-on guys like Gambit because of that fact.

_No_, Rogue told herself firmly. _Ah will not fall f'r him. Not anyone. It's pointless. Ah've already been down that road before. It only leads to regrets. Plus, Gambit's the enemy! Ah saw inside his head. He's probably only using me cuz ol' bucket head wants t' keep tags on all the X-Men._

_ That's, like, so not true! _Kitty said suddenly. _I mean, I totally dated Lance, and it, like, worked out fine. Gambit really likes you, and you, like, like him too, right?_

_ Zat guy's real trouble. You should stay avay from him. Ve don't want you to get hurt!_

_ Think about the team, _Scott said. _He's only using you for information on the X-Men. You were right before._

_ Oh be quiet, Scott! _Jean scolded. _She likes him!_

_ **LOVES** him, _Kitty corrected with a giggled.

_Ah do not!_

_ Love is a sick joke. You should know that by now. _Mystique's words of "encouragement" were resurfacing again. _Dear child, you can't really believe he'll accept the fact that you can't touch. Scum like his kind only want one thing: sex._

_ Also not true! _sang Kitty. _Why would he, like, still like Rogue if all he wants is, like, like, like-_

_ Sex?_ Kurt finished for her.

Rogue could almost see the girl blushing furiously. _Like, yeah!_

_ Because he's a spy! _insisted Scott_._

_ Because he thinks there's a way around it. You'll see. He will learn in time that his efforts are futile._

_ He's just young, _Magneto snapped. _Mystique, you're being too hard on the girl. What are you saying, that she doesn't have the liberty to have feelings for some boy just because of her powers?_

_ She must learn sooner or la-!_

_ **SHUT UP**! _Rogue screamed. _Just get the fuck outta mah head! This ain't y'r life!_

"You okay, chere?"

Rogue blinked, watching the real world materialize slowly. She shook the voices away and forced a smile. "Uh... yeah. Sorry, ah was just sorta spacin' out."

She was glad the psyches were gone. She must of looked like a dork, zoning out while "voices" gave her relationship advice. 

_There is no relationship_, Rogue reminded herself. _Ah hate him._

Gambit smiled and pulled into a parking spot. "Well, we're here."

The place was even more beautiful than she could imagine. The building was made of stone. Statues, vines, and other decorations wove around the exterior. She could only picture what the inside would look like.

"Are you sure about this?" Rogue asked. "Ah dunno... ah just wanna go home." Her mother and Scott's words were returning and it made her think twice about this "date."

He shook his head. "No way, chere. You'll enjoy dis. Trust me."

"Trust you," she repeated with sarcasm. "_Right_."

Gambit grabbed her gloved hand and led her inside the swanky bistro. It was lit with chandeliers and the walls were covered by original paintings and Mardi Gras masks. People in suits and dresses were eating and laughing all around them. Rogue had never seen a place so exotic and beautiful in her life.

A man dressed in a tux took one look at the two teenagers and made a face. He was obviously the Host, as he was quick to tell the two, "Désolé, mais nous n'avons pas de tables disponibles en ce moment sorry, but we do not have any available tables at this time."

Remy grinned and gave Rogue a "let me handle this" look. "Sûrement vous pouvez trouver une table pour le Monsieur Remy LeBeau Surely you can find a table for Mister Remy LeBeau ?"

The man's eyes widened in shock. "Monsieur LeBeau mes excuses. S'il vous plaît, la droite cette façon. Nous avons une la plupart des table excellente pour vous et votre compagnon femelle. Mister LeBeau, my apologies. Please, right this way. We have a most excellent table for you and your female companion."

A man appeared when the host snapped his fingers. The host gave him two menus. "S'il vous plaît Monsieur LeBeau de découverte et sa date notre meilleure table Please find Mister LeBeau and his date our best table."

He nodded gravely, and led them to a table right by the French windows and below one of the many hanging chandeliers.

Rogue watched Remy with interest as they breezed by the other costumers. Why was Remy LeBeau such a authoritative name?

"Here is your table," the man said rather nervously. He placed down the menus and Remy and Rogue took a seat. "Peux-je vous intéresser dans un vin pour commencer avec? Peut-être votre normal, Monsieur LeBeau May I interest you in a wine to begin with? Perhaps your usual, Mister LeBeau ?"

"Ceci est non 'normal' la fille. Je pense que je prendrai le chardonnay de maison, s'il vous plaîtThis is no 'usual' girl. I think I will take the house chardonnay, please."

Gambit looked at Rogue, who just sat quietly. "Chardonnay okay wit you, chere?"

"Ah really don't think wine is appropriate-"

"Chardonnay c'est Chardonnay it is**,**" he told their waiter. "Et s'il vous plaît apporter le baguette avec le vin And please bring the baguette with the wine**.**"

The waiter nodded, and then disappeared.

"So, Remy guesses you have even bigger questions now," he said with a smile.

"Ah don't even know where t' begin," Rogue said honestly. "Ah may have absorbed some of y'r memories, but none of 'em give me the slightest clue why LeBeau is a name that can give us an instant table at Chez Benoît."

"Well you know I am a t'ief, right?"

She nodded. "That much ah'm certain about. But that still doesn't-"

He interrupted her. "Well, in mon hometown, we have two clans. De t'ieves and de assassins. De assassins are de rival gang, you could say. Dere's t'ieves and assassins all over de place. Chez Benoît jus' so happens t' be owned by one o' our t'ieves. An since de LeBeau family is one of de highest ranked t'ieves, dey give us LeBeaus respect."

"But that girl was an assassin," Rogue said before realizing her mistake.

"Dat fille was different, an I don' wanna talk about it," he snapped.

She lowered her head and traced a design on the table cloth. "Sorry." Belle had to be a serious old flame from the way his eyes glowed. Perhaps he... loved her? The thought made Rogue green with envy.

"It's okay, chere," he said. "You didn't know."

The waiter arrived with the bread and wine, breaking the awkward silence. "Votre baguette et Chardonnay, Monsieur LeBeau Your baguette and Chardonnay, Mister LeBeau**.**"

He poured the wine into the two glasses. "Apprécier. Je serai postérieur pour prendre vos ordres Enjoy. I will be back to take your orders**.**"

"Remy, y'r not even of age," Rogue said, examining the liquid. "Aren't they contributin' t' the corruption o' minors or somethin'.?"

He laughed. "Oh, it is a bit illegal, isn't it? But you know, we t'ieves don' always follow de book."

"Ah think ah'll pass," she said, pushing the glass towards Gambit.

"Remy is not gettin' you drunk, if dat's what you t'ink. That's what de club is for." He flashed her a winning smile. "Just for romantic effect. Remy promises."

She picked up the glass carefully and took a sip.

"See? Not so bad, is it?"

Gambit raised his glass. "T' new beginnin's an new friends," he said.

Rogue's crystal goblet clanked as it met Remy's. "What you said."

Remy nodded as the waiter left. "Well, you haven't told me much about yourself, chere. An Gambit wants t' know all about such a belle beautiful creature."

"There isn't much t' tell," Rogue replied, blushing.

"Humor me," he said with a smile. She looked absolutely breath-taking that night, especially as the candle light illuminated her pretty features. "Gambit knows you not modest. Here's a nice ice breaker: how 'bout you tell me your name, eh?"

Rogue rolled her eyes, but smiled. This guy really was a charmer...

* ~ *

"Dinner was wonderful," Rogue told him. "Guess Cajun as y'all are, ya do have _some_ taste."

He wrinkled his nose. "Be nice, chere. De fun is only startin'. You'll see. Remy'll show you de time o' y'r life."

She shivered, realizing he had said those same words to Belle. _Remy'll show you de time o' y'r life._ The old envy returned again, though the feeling was unwelcome. Belle had done everything with Remy before Rogue, and because of that Belle would always be above her. But Rogue shouldn't be jealous. She didn't like Gambit!

He led her towards the kitchen after they paid their check and did not Rogue's worried expression. "Come on, chere," he said with a large grin.

"Where are we goin'?"

"You'll see."

A few workers turned to give the couple odd looks as Remy dragged her past the kitchen and into a new hallway. She was suddenly aware of pounding music and loud laughter.

"Name?" a large African American man asked when they reached the door he guarded.

"Master T'ief Remy LeBeau," he said with a grin. "Like you don' already know. An dis fille is mon my date, Rogue."

The man smiled, and shook Rogue's hand. "He better be treatin' you wit respect," he said. "I'll make sure t' deck 'im if he don'. A pretty fille like you can do better den dat loser."

"Ah, play nice, Malick. Don' scare de girl away!"

Rogue smiled. "Ah take it y'all know each other."

"Like brothers," Malick said with a laugh.

"Speakin' o' family, how's Tante Mattie?"

"Bon good," he said. "Told me she misses de ol' trouble maker."

Remy looked at Rogue. "Go on ahead, chere. I've gotta catch up wit Malick here."

Malick grinned at her. "Nicole's downstairs. Maybe she'll show you around. An don' you worry. I won' keep Remy for too long."

She nodded and began her trip down the stone stairs. Some rap song blared from the room below. A few people squealed with laughter, and Rogue could hear loud conversations carry over the music. This was definitely the party spot Remy told her about.

A short blonde with brown eyes waved at Rogue upon her arrival to the club-like basement. "Hi!" she called.

Rogue forced a smile at the perky blonde. "Are you Nicole?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm Sandrine," she replied with a girlish giggle. "Nicole is over there." She pointed to a skinny African-American girl. "Nicole's Malick's little sister."

"Thanks," Rogue said, contemplating whether or not she should introduce herself to Nicole. This place wasn't her regular scene, but it was nice to get out and have fun once in a while. So why not?

"Hi," Rogue said to the girl. "Ah'm Rogue. Y'r brother told me ya'll would give me a tour?"

"Nicole," she replied. She offered a hand, which Rogue reluctantly shook. "You know my brother?"

"No, mah... _friend _Remy does though. They're up there chattin' away."

Nicole grinned. "So you're Remy's new gurl, huh? Glad he finally got _some_ since knocked int' him. I kinda got sick o' seein' a bunch o' bimbos attached t' his arm. But you, your actually decent."

She smiled. "So ah'm guessin' Remy used t' bring home the Britneys?"

"Pretty much," Nicole replied with a laugh. "So how long have the two of you been datin'?"

Rogue shook her head. "Oh, no, we're not datin' at all. We're just here on a..."

"Date?" she finished. "Face it, gurl, you're so on a date. An Gambit ain't dat bad, is he?"

She rolled her eyes. "Just a pretty face an a big ego."

"Yeah, Rem's always been pretty damn confident wit himself. But he's a good guy once ya get t' know him. Used to almost be family back in New Orleans."

"So why did y'all move t' this hell hole?" Rogue asked. "Can't see why anyone would leave a great place like New Orleans."

Nicole sighed. "Dose stupid assassins are drivin' most o' de t'ieves out. Mon pere my father is sick of livin' in fear wit all de fightin' dat goes on, so we decided t' move away from it all. But I don' like it at all. It's almost as if we're running from de cowards."

"Ah wouldn't want t' run away, either," she agreed. "But sounds like thangs were pretty bad back there."

"Yeah," she said, sipping a blue beverage. "Oh, you want a drink? There's a bar over there. I'll get you somet'ing if you want me to."

"Ah'm not too keen on drinkin'," she said apprehensively. Her powers coupled with alcohol only promise that they would go out of control. She had enough trouble keeping them in check already. Rogue didn't need something to make them even wilder.

"Oh, come on, just one drink," Nicole said. "How about a Smirnoff?"

Rogue sighed. She didn't want to seem rude. "Yeah, that'd be great."

Nicole led her to the bar. She smiled at the dark-haired bartender. "Hey Tim. Can you get us two Smirnoffs?"

"No problem," he said, grabbing two bottles from the cooler and actually iced with his hands. The frost covered the drinks in a matter of seconds. It was almost like something Bobby would do.

Rogue gaped.

"What?" Nicole asked, taking the drinks. "Haven't you ever seen a mutant before?"

"Ah _am_ a mutant," she replied. "Ah just didn't know any o' y'all were muties too, except f'r Remy."

"Most o' de t'ieves in our clan are mutants," Nicole said as-a-matter-of-factly. " 'm a mutant myself. I can turn myself into shadows. My brother has super-strength."

Rogue laughed. "Well with all that muscle ah can't see why he'd need it."

"What's you power?"

She was suddenly interested in the calories of a Smirnoff. Pale green eyes scanned the label. "Oh, nothin' spectacular like that. Ah can, just, uh- heal quickly." She silently prayed Nicole wouldn't want to see her powers in action.

"That's awesome," she said with a grin. "I would trade you powers any day!"

"So would ah..."

"Tryin' t' steal my date?" a male voice interrupted.

Nicole looked up. "Remy! Malick!" she exclaimed, hugging them both. "Took ya long enough. I was bein' t' think dat y'r date was bored, Rem."

He smirked. "Do mon friends bore you, chere?"

Rogue shook her head. "Nicole was very... entertainin'."

The girl laughed. "Thanks, I think!"

Malick rolled his eyes and looked at his little sister. "C'mon, Nicole. We better leave dese two lovebirds alone, non?"

She nodded. "Good idea. Nice meetin' ya, Rogue!" Nicole called as her burly brother dragged her away.

"Interestin' characters, eh?" Remy asked.

Rogue shrugged. "Nicole was nice enough. Told me all about you."

"Good t'ings I hope."

"Ah wouldn't tell either way," she replied. Rogue pretended to zip her lips. "Ah don't kiss an tell."

"Secrets, den? Dis is not a good way t' start a relationship."

Rogue took a swig of the alcoholic beverage. "What relationship?"

He laughed. "You wound me."

"Hey, this ain't that bad."

"What? De drink? Gambing t'ought ya weren't too keen on alcohol'." He smiled and took a drink of the beer he and Malick presumably stopped to get before. "Not dat dere's anyt'ing wrong wit changin' your mind."

Rogue took another gulp. "Good, then. Ah'm in the mood t' dance." She paused. "Well, are ya gonna ask me t' dance, or are ya just gonna leave a gal hangin'?"

"May I have dis dance?"

"Of course..." she replied, taking his hand and feeling incredibly silly.

Remy put his arms around her waist as the two mutants grinded to the music. "Gambit t'inks dis is a very naughty dance," he said with a wicked look. "Do dey allow dis at de prom?"

"Are ya, complainin', sugah?" she said, amazed that the foreign moves came from her body with such ease. She slid up and down Remy's body with her backside, turned around, and got down with it. Rogue never learned how to dance like _that. _Who the hell did that ability belong to?

He shook his head vehemently. "'Course not, chere!"

Gambit wasn't complaining at all!

* ~ *

Rogue giggled as she stumbled on the dance floor, Gambit trying desperately not to get trampled on in her drunken state. "Ah think ah need somethin' t' drink," she slurred and reached for a glass of beer on the table.

Remy sighed. "Cherie, Gambit t'ink dat you've had plenty t' drink."

She managed a drink despite his protestations. "Isn't that what you want?" She ran a gloved finger across his jaw line. "Wanted t' get me t' loosen up?"

"An dat's all, chere," he said. "You got Remy's word."

"That's too bad," Rogue said sulking.

Nicole walked by and laughed. "I t'ought you were gonna take it easy on de booze, Rogue."

She looked offended. "Ah am _not_ drunk!"

Her body proved otherwise as she fell over. Luckily, Gambit moved quickly and caught her.

"How many beers did she have before she got that drunk?" Nicole asked him. "Like fourty?"

"Non, only about six. Pourqoi Why?"

"She told me dat her powers are were rapid-healin'. I figured dat would make her pretty immune t' alcohol."

He looked at Rogue with both confusion and pity. Why would she want to lie like that? Did she hate her powers that much? _Well you wouldn't be too happy if you couldn't touch anyone one, now would ya, Gambit? _he asked himself.

"I t'ink we should go now, chere," he told her.

Rogue giggled. "Like, okay!" She giggled drunkenly once more. "Oh mah Gawd, that was so Kitty."

Nicole waved. "See ya later, Rogue."

She waved her hand around wildly and yelled. "Bah-bah, everyone! Ah had a wonderful time!"

_Mon Dieu My God! _Remy thought with slight embarrassment. _She be ** so** drunk!_

Remy led Rogue through the back door and into a dark alley. It was three o'clock in the morning, and the restaurant was obviously closed, so they had to take a different route to the parking lot.

"Let me drive!" Rogue exclaimed when they reached his motorcycle..

He shook his head and climbed on. "Gambit knows de way better dan you."

She put on the helmet and slid on the seat behind him. "Spoilin' mah fun..."

As they disappear into the night, Remy wondered how much trouble Rogue would get in trouble for not only staying out past curfew, but drinking as well. The adults at the institute seemed even more uptight than Magneto, who only forbade his charges to consume alcohol inside of the house. Gambit knew that Xavier wouldn't appreciate Rogue drinking at all.

"Chere," he said said. "You can't go home."

Rogue giggled. "No kiddin', sugah. Ah figure the Prof will have mah head."

Gambit grinned even though she couldn't see his face. "Well, den, Remy, bein' de gentleman he be, I insist dat you stay at mon place. Jus for de night, so dat you don' get in any sort of trouble."

She wrapped her arms around his waist more tightly. "Ah don' think it would be quite proper," Rogue said giddily. "Ah've never slept at a boy's house before."

"Den you'll get a chance t'."

He knew it wasn't fair to ask this of her. After all, she was too drunk to say no, but he really didn't want to get Rogue grounded for life. Besides, Remy obviously couldn't try anything considering her powers. And he was a man of his word. Even if he could, her wouldn't.

The large Victorian came into view, and he parked the bike as quietly as he could manage.

"Shhh, chere. We're gonna have t' sneak around back so we don' wake nobody up."

Rogue nodded and took her helmet off. The simple action almost made the girl fall over. Remy had to help her through his window and into his room.

"Remy'll give you de bed," he said, laying her down on the queen-sized waterbed. "You need t' rest."

"Aren't y'all gonna lay with me?" she asked with a wicked smile. "After all, ya planned this evening jus for this, didn't ya?"

"Non, chere." He walked over and grabbed a wastebasket. "Gambit put did here jus in case you get sick."

Rogue was already out like a light, so Remy just covered her up and placed a small kiss on the top of her head. "Bonne nuit good night, chere. An don' get too sick in de mornin'."

Remy smiled and made his make-shift bed on the floor. Snuggling under the covers, he realized how much he needed that night with Rogue. _Made me forget all 'bout mon troubles._ he thought. _Jus hope tomorrow Rogue isn't de one in trouble. _He turned on his side and closed his eyes, drifting off into much-needed sleep.

* ~ *

Rejoice, this is one of my WAY LONGER chapters! More coming, so don't worry. And to all those who said my multiple fics weren't a good idea, when did you think I wrote this? I'm currently putting off "Broken Memories" and "A Tempest's Pain" so I can update this story, so be glad I have fan fiction commitment issues. He he! 

Sorry if I cut out some of the "date scenes" but it was getting a bit tedious to write and even to read. So I basically condensed it to important/cute parts. In addition to the cut scenes, I also want to say sorry to anyone who feels this wasn't a very "clean" chapter with all the provocative dancing (more of a suggestion. I didn't feel like going into details), the drinking, cussing, and the sleeping over at Gambits place! However, this is a teenager's life. And I think the scene sort of fits Gambit, so I personally believe these were necessary parts in this chapter. Besides, it's kind of funny/cute!

Also, I apologize for typos. I was just reading chapter four and realized how many stupid mistakes I had made. Sorry, and I will try and remember to have someone proof-read it before I put it on ff.net. Hopefully it wasn't too distracting. Typos get on my nerves!

-I can't remember who, but someone reviewed and asked me if this is after Self-Possessed. My answer is: Yeah, it's after that.


	5. The Morning After

Queen of Hearts

Chapter Six: The Morning After

* ~ *

Light filtered through Rogue's heavy lids. The pounding in Rogue's head was almost enough to make her sick. She groaned and turned over, wishing she could just die so she didn't have to live with the pain coursing through her body.

"Wake up," a voice said.

She jumped in surprise, making the speaker topple over her body and the blankets twist around them in a peculiar way. Rogue looked up in surprise to see Remy LeBeau on top of her with a smirk.

"Always, wanted t' be on top, chere."

She looked at him with a mixture of confusion and anger. "Ah- how the hell did ya'all get in mah room?"

He shook his head. "Chere, did ain't your room. Dis is mine." He ran a finger across her clothed collar bone. "Don' you 'member our date?"

Rogue shivered at the touch. Her face flushed involuntarily, and the hammering in her head almost matched the hammering of her heart. "Ah... don't remember anythin'," she replied honestly. "Mah head's a big painful blank."

_ If anythin' happened between us_... she thought with wide eyes. _An what does he think he's doin' touchin' me like that?_ Her stomach did a somersault. _Ah wish he'd do it again..._

Gambit smiled and ran his hand through her hair. The way his cat eyes crinkled at the familiar action caused Rogue's heart to race even more. "Bon ben Well then, Remy'll be happy t' fill you in, beb," he said huskily.

She placed a hand on his muscular chest in protestation, but did not pull away from the closeness. "So..?."

The door swung open suddenly. "Gambit, Magneto's been lookin' for you... Jesus Christ!" Pyro exclaimed. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt! Hope you used a franga condom when you all rooted had sex, mate!"

He glared. "Bec mon chu kiss my ass (so not French)! Can't you see dere's a door dere? It's called knockin'!" he shouted, throwing a shoe at his roommate, who just laughed and shut the door before it could make contact. The shoe hit the door and bounced off with a thud over the roar of Pyro's maniacal laughter.

Rogue pulled away as John left. "Ah think ah'm gonna be sick..." she muttered, leaning over the bed as bile rose to her throat. She leaned over the bed and vomited in the wastebasket strategically placed right by her head.

* ~ *

Rogue swallowed the Advil and washed the pills down with a glass of water Gambit had given her. "So what the hell happened last night?" she asked.

"We went out t' eat an den t' a party. Not'ing else," he supplied.

She remember the dinner vaguely, but not much else. "Why did ah sleep over here?" she asked, still doubting Remy hadn't done "anything." Although, it wasn't like her powers allowed him to do much.

"You didn't want t' get in trouble, chere."

It sounded credible, but Rogue didn't want to believe the Cajun. "Ah- ah didn't do anythin'... _stupid_, did ah?" she asked. _Please say ah didn't act like a dork..._ She didn't even want to think about why she would even care. Her head hurt too much already.

"Non, chere. Jus' a lil' silliness, but dat's t' be expected. Ya were drinkin' after all."

"Good," she replied, then sighed. "Ah still don' know how ah'm gonna explain this t' everyone in the institute..."

"Who says you'll have to?" Gambit asked. "Jus sneak back in y'r room. It _ is_ six in the mornin'. Why do ya t'ink Remy woke ya up so early?"

Rogue rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the pain the action caused. "Ah can sneak right int' mah two story window. That'll work."

"It's called climbin', chere," he retorted. "It ain't dat hard. Or do you jus' want t' stay here wit Gambit?"

The thought wasn't so bad. _Jus sittin' here with him makes me feel... _she racked her brain for the word but she couldn't place it. _Ah don't even know how he makes me feel! Just that ah feel like ah've got mah heart in mah throat and mah stomach in a garden full of butterflies. Ah know ah said ah wouldn't fall for him, but it's so hard not to!_

"Guess dat's a oui den," he teased. Gambit smiled then added, "Dough you won't hear me complain, 'm sure dat Professor X o' yours might have somet'ing t' say 'bout it."

"Then ah better go, huh?" Rogue said, and though her legs felt as if they would never move, she rose from her spot on the bed. "Ah had a wonderful time... ah think."

He chuckled. "Hopefully, you'll remember last night soon enough. But ah'll drive ya home. Jus lemme get dressed."

She nodded and walked out of his room, ignoring Pyro's suggestive leers, Colossus's quizzical glance, and Magneto's raised eyebrow. _Admit it, girl,_ Rogue told herself as she reached the front porch. _You like Remy LeBeau way too much. _She had to get out of there.

* ~ *

"That girl was nice to gander look at, eh, Gambit?" Pyro said, elbowing his teammate with a grin of humungous proportions. "Have fun last night?"

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Don' t'ink it be any of _your _business."

"So you don't kiss and tell? Good-on-ya, mate! Though with those knockers breasts I wouldn't keep my mouth shut!"

Remy's eyes flashed red with rage. "Den is Gambit gonna have t' help you?"

Piotr Rasputin stepped between the Aussie and the Cajun. When he was in his organic metal form, the boy was a lot more intimidating, but not any less compassionate. "I believe Remy is right. What went on is none of our concern. So let's drop it, okay?"

Magneto gave Gambit a "look." "Well, it is _ my _ concern. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Gambit, especially with that girl. Rogue is not some little fling. She's our foe, and what's more, a very dangerous one."

"Heard it before, homme. My love life is _ my_ life, non?"

Blue eyes narrowed into slits. "Yes, but you are my _business_. I am not paying that wretched, filthy father of yours for you to run off and get involved with a girl who is nothing but trouble to this team. I told you to keep track of Rogue, not sleep with her!"

"Wit her powers, wouldn't it be kinda hard?" Remy asked with a smirk. "'Sides, Gambit _is _checkin' up on de fille, ain't I? What's wrong wit havin' a lil' fun while 'm at it?"

Magneto made fists with his hands. "Fine! But if your relationship is purely business, than you won't have any problem with paying a friendly visit to her in the institute? I would like some information on some of the new mutants, and it seems to be a logical excuse for you to be there."

He turned on his heel to leave, but Pyro had something to say. "Hey, mate, while you're at it, can ya hook me up with a pretty girl to keep tabs on? I don't wanna be cut outta the loop."

The master of magnetism growled and stormed off to the library.

"Why do you always have to anger him?" Colossus asked exasperatedly. "Now he'll probably take it out on us later."

John shrugged. "Hey, it ain't my fault a couple of kangaroos are loose up in the paddock, if ya know what I mean." He's calling Magneto mentally deficient

"Gambit, what do you think?" Piotr asked.

"Gambit?" he repeated.

"Sapristi I have no clue what this is. I've just heard it been used in surprise by Gambit in the comics!" the Cajun cried, running out to the driveway. "She stole my bike!"

* ~ *

Rogue looked at the gate enclosing the institute with disgust. It was slammed shut, mocking her. It was times like these where she wished she could trade powers with a particular mutant (instead of just _anyone_). She wished she could be like Nightcrawler and just teleport into her room, instead of having to deal with the bullshit of sneaking in the _hard way._

Any usual entry would be out of the question. If no one noticed her absence last night, a retina scan, voice recoginition, or any of that other crap would just alert the adults of her late homecoming. Rogue still hoped that no one had realized she was gone last night. If they didn't suspect anything, just waltzing in would obviously give her away.

_Skipping class is much easier than this_... the goth thought with amusement. _Ah mean what's gonna stop me? A hall monitor? That was cake. Bayville High doesn't have high-tech security or telepaths. The institute does._

Rogue looked back in the garage where she had stealthily parked Remy's bike. _Maybe if ah never came back thangs would be much more simple. _Like many times before, the young mutant wished she could return to the Bayville Boarding School, a place that she and fellow mutant thugs called home, or at least had. Her fellow predicament would have miniscule punishments. After all, everyone else did worse things.

_That's not true. Because ah'm Mystique's daughter, an that changes everythin'. She doesn't give a hoot about anyone else but me, an would practically skin me f'r breaking her "special rules." _Rogue almost smiled at her foster mother's strict set of rules that basically ensured her no life without Mystique knowing about it. _The creepy thang is that she still watched over me like a hound dog, even after ah left._

She obviously couldn't just stand there and gather wool. Some one might see her. Rogue crept around back so that her balcony was in view. It would make for a faster break-in.

Climbing up and fence and swinging her legs around the top, Rogue quietly dropped from the iron gate and landed with a soft "plop" on the grass. She snuck towards the balcony and realized she had no way a crawling up, save for a large garbage can a few feet away. She shrugged and drug it towards her window and climbed atop it. Even on her tiptoes Rogue couldn't reach the ledge. She jumped as high as she could, but her fingers only grazed the cold stone.

The landing didn't go so well. Rogue lost her footing and tumbled backwards despite her efforts to balance herself. Expecting to feel the hard ground beneath her, she squeezed her eyes shut. To her surprise, she landed in warm arms.

"Having a little trouble, **sister**?"

Rogue jumped from her adoptive brother's arms with a shriek. "Oh, you scared the hell outta me, Kurt!"

He shrugged with a small smile. "Vell, I heard some noise outside my vindow. Vhen I saw you about to fall off that trash bin, I decided to come and do some investigating." His smile grew into a grin and her gave her a thumbs-up sign. "Fuzzy Dude to the rescue!"

She couldn't help but smile at her goofy brother. "Well then ah guess ah should thank mah valiant rescuer. Although... he could be even more helpful an teleport me up t' mah room."

"Right away!" Kurt grabbed her hand and was about to do as she asked, but something stopped him. He plugged his nose and circled around Rogue. "**God**, you reek like beer. Vere you at a bar or something last night?"

"No," she snapped defensively. "Ah was with a friend. An it's none of your business."

Nightcrawler laughed. "You vere vith Gambit, veren't you?" he teased. "Rogue's got a boyfriend! Rogue's got a boyfriend!"

She lunged at him, but he ported before she could get close. "He is _not_ mah boyfriend!"

"I'm gonna tell mutter mother you vere out all night with your boyfriend!" he antagonized.

Rogue narrowed her green eyes. "Why the heck would you tell her anythin'?"

Kurt shrugged. "I already told her that you an one of ze Acolytes vere getting all lovey-dovey. She vasn't too impressed."

She growled. "Kurt! Ah can't belive ya told that _bitch_ anythin'! Especially somethin' like that. An since when do you talk t' Mystique anyway?"

"Since yesterday to be exact," he replied cheerfully. "She asked how you were doing since you got out of ze hospital. So I told her you were doing great... vith Gambit..."

"You rat!"

Again, Nightcrawler teleported out of his sister's reach before she could deck him. "Correction," he called down to her while lounging on the edge of her balcony. "I am no rat. I am ze Fuzzy Dude."

"You're a fuzzy rat!" Rogue exclaimed. "But ah might let ya slide if ya 'port me up t' mah room."

"Is zat a promise?"

She sighed. "Fine. Ah promise."

He climbed down and held Rogue's hand. Within a second they were standing in Rogue's room.

"Kurt!" Kitty screamed, practically phasing through her bed. "How many time have I told you to, like, knock before you 'port? I could've been, like, getting dressed or something!"

"Sorry, Kitty," he said with a blush. He quickly teleported somewhere else.

"Hey!" Rogue yelled. "Ah wasn't done with ya!"

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "I haven't even, like, started with you, girl. Where were you last night? I had to, like, totally lie for you to Mr. Logan."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him you were over at the Brotherhood for the night," she said.

"What?!" Rogue retorted. "Kitty that's so lame! He couldn't have bought it!"

"Well, you, like, have no right to be mad. If you would've come home last night like you were suppose to I wouldn't have had to, like, lie for you. And you try lying to, like, Edward Scissorhands! It's not easy to come up with the best excuse of the century when you're scared for your life!"

"Sorry," she sighed. "What did Logan say?"

"Well, he wanted to go and make sure Mystique hadn't, like, kidnapped you. So I to, like, tell him you wanted to bound with your mom and you didn't want any, like, fuss. I said you were, like, all thinking about your family and stuff."

"That's ridiculous! That's not me at all! Ah don't want anythin' t' do with Mystique!"

Kitty bit her lip. "Well, he didn't think so either. So I, like, told him that you were going to visit Mystique tonight to."

"You what?!" Rogue exclaimed. "No way! Ah'm so not going over there!"

"Well, you, like, have to. Mr. Logan's even driving you there. So I suggest you call Mysti and, like, make up with her fast. I mean, have, like, some big mother-daughter heart to heart."

"Ah'd rather clean the Blackbird."

She laughed nervously. "That's kind of, like, funny. Because Mr. Logan said if I was lying we'd, like, both have to clean the Blackbird _and _do Logan sessions for a month."

Rogue could deal with the punishment, but she didn't want to drag her roommate into her mess. She collapsed on her bed and groaned. "Fine. Ah'll do it. Hand me the phone."

Kitty complied. "By the way, where were you last night for real?"

"Ah was apparently at a very nice restaurant in New York City, then to a little private party, and then to Gambit's house where ah crashed," Rogue said nonchalantly.

"Omigosh!" she squealed. "You like slept at Gambit's house! You didn't do...or did you?!"

"That would be kind of impossible with mah powers, don'tcha think?"

Kitty lowered her head, obviously hurt by the annoyance in her friend's voice. "Okay, well, then what did you do?"

"Ah don't remember," Rogue snapped. She dialed the Boarding House's number. "Look, Kitty, ah really don't want t' talk about this right now. Sorry if ah'm bein' a bitch, but ah was really drunk an ah don't really remember anythin' that happened. Besides, ah've gotta phone call t' make."

She nodded, then muttered, "A simple thank you would, like, be nice."

Rogue obviously didn't hear. "Ummm... hi Lance. Can ah talk t' Mystique?"

"Rogue has a boyfriend!" a particular German mutant yelled in the halls.

The goth narrowed her eyes and paused. "Hold that thought, Lance. Ah'll call back later. Ah have a certain adoptive brother t' kill."

* ~ *

Need I say it? To be continued! 

I'm so very, very sorry for taking so long. But I've been really sick, had a bunch of semester finals to take care of, and all my fan fictions were being major bitches to write. So, I've been really trying to update. But I finally sat myself down tonight and promised myself I wouldn't leave until I was done with this chapter. AND I DID IT! Go me! Please review and I'll try not to wait so long next time. 


	6. Mother Knows Best

Queen of Hearts

Chapter Seven: Mother Knows Best

* ~ *

The phone rang at Bayville Boarding House. Almost, immediately, Todd Tolanske dashed (or rather hurriedly hopped) for the phone. "I got it, yo!" he called.

Wanda Maxinoff just rolled her eyes and sighed. Was he trying to impress him? The girl shuddered. Toad was such a vile insect. She couldn't believe she'd actually kissed him! The thought made her sick.

Pietro, her twin, smirked. "Man, I wish Mystiqque would've taken you outta the-" he paused. "I mean, brought you here sooner. You've got fly-magnet doing everything you ask!"

She eyes him suspiciously, but said nothing.

"Mystiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiique!" Toad sang. "It's for yooooooou!"

The shape-shifter stormed down the stairs. "Give me the phone, you imbecile!"

A bead of sweat traveled down Todd's brow. "Um, it's-"

She grabbed him by the throat. "I didn't ask for you to speak. Now go and do something useful for once. Perhaps something like taking a shower?"

Toad soared into a nearby wall. Wanda winced, almost feeling sorry for the poor guy.

"Hello, Mystique here," she said quite cheerfully, given her violent outburst.

"Raven, this is Logan."

Her knuckles tightened around the receiver. The other inhabitants of the boarding house witnessed yet another surprising change in her mood. "What do_ you_ want?" she snarled.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm bringing Rogue over later today. If anything should happen- well you know. You better take good care of Stripes." He paused. "That's all."

"But why would she come over? Is something wr-"

It was too late. Wolverine had already hung up. Mystique growled and slammed down the phone. She turned to her "charges." A large, unnatural smile grew on her face. "We're having company tonight night, kids!"

Wanda's head snapped up in attention. "Who?"

"Rogue," she replied with a hint of perkiness.

Lance groaned. "Not her. We don't need another girl around this joint. Wanda's bad enough!"

"What?!" she replied, hexing his sorry butt out the window.

Toad smiled. "Good one, sweetums."

He realized his mistake, but the timing was a little off. "AGGGGHHH!" he cried. "I'm sorry baby cakes!" Toad landed outside next to Lance.

Mystique sighed. "Honestly, can't you control your anger enough to not put holes through my walls?"

She shrugged. "So isn't Rogue one of the X-Geeks?"

"Yes," she said hotly. "Rogue is an X-Man. But not a 'geek.' Need I remind you how mercilessly she and her friends crushed you time and time again? You pathetic fools are only kidding yourselves."

"Thanks for the self-esteem booster," Pietro said sarcastically.

Raven turned away and looked outside the window. "I don't know why she's coming, but if any of you embarrassments do anything wrong- so help me God- I'll-"

"Jeesh," Fred said. "We get the picture."

"Good," she retorted. She scanned the house, which was again, in shambles. "Hmmm... on second thought, you better clean up this mess. Pronto!"

The teenagers hurried to clean up the place, mumbling little obscenities here and there.

Mystique caught sight of a picture hanging on the wall as she began to walk up to her room. The picture was of Rogue and Irene- an old item Rogue had opted to leave when she moved to the institute. The picture had jolted many bitter memories inside the woman. She squeezed her eyes shut to cut them off. _Why does Rogue want to see me now?_ she asked herself. _Was Kurt serious when he told me she's dating one of Magneto's Acolytes? Even if I did see them at the park together- it doesn't mean anything is going on between them. _She paused. _It better not be true, because if it is- I'm afraid this "Gambit" character will realize he's in over his head. At least he will when I get through with him._

* ~ *

Remy LeBeau was no master at high-tech things, but when it came to breaking in houses, he do almost anything. The security at Xavier's School, however advanced it may be, would cave in mercilessly to Gambit's charm. He gave the decoding device one final key stroke before the gate unlocked. Gambit put the tool away with a smirk. "Dat was easy."

"Now," he said to himself as he quietly snuck into the garage. "Gambit guessin' you put de bike here, chere."

However, when he opened the garage, he jumped back in surprise. There, growling with unleashed claws, stood Wolverine. Remy smirked. "What a coincidence dat you here. Guess Gambit'll jus' pick up his bike an be on his way, non?"

"This ain't a coincidence," Logan snarled. "Could smell a thief like you a mile away."

He threw his hands up in mock-defeat. "Never came t' steal. Gambit can promise dat, homme. Just wanted my bike back. If dat's okay wit you..."

The man wasn't about to let him slide. "Mind telling me how it got here in the first place?"

Remy's first reaction was to tell Wolverine that it was none of his business, but he really didn't feel like getting into a fight so early in the afternoon. "I let one o' de students borrow it," he said smoothly.

"And what student was that?" Wolverine crossed his arms across his chest.

"Oh, jus a lil' petite by de name of... Rogue," he said nonchalantly. "Pourquoi Why?"

He wasn't too happy with his answer. He narrowed his brown eyes and pointed his claws in Gambit's direction. "I don't like the smell of you, Gumbo. And I don't like you anywhere near Stripes."

"Gumbo?" he said with slight offense. "Is dat de best you can come up wit?"

Logan growled. "You wanna test me, shrimp?"

"Peeshwank runt, dere ain't not'ing t' try!" Remy retorted, pulling out a handful of cards and charging them up. "But if ya wanna good fight, den you askin' de right man!"

Wolverine lunged for him, only to be interupted by someone walking in the garage.

"Jean!" a male voice almost whined. "You know my car is dirty! We can't go any where tonight! I gotta wash it!"

Jean sighed. "God, Scott, all you think about is that car!"

Scott stopped and reached for his visor once he saw Gambit and Wolverine attacking each other. "What are _you _doing here?" he asked Gambit.

The red-headed girl gave the two boys a look of disapproval. "Yeah, what's going on here."

Remy straightened up. "Jus' getting my bike back, dat's all, chere," he told Jean with a glint in his red on black eyes. "Dough mebbe Gambit can change your mind...?" He winked at her.

She blushed, feeling extremely giddy. "Uh- Mr. Logan, what's the big deal? He obviously isn't doing anything wrong here."

Cyclops gave Gambit the death glare, though he obviously couldn't see the look. Scott's glasses shaded his eyes completely. "Jean, the enemy _is _on our property... _again._"

Wolverine nodded. "And I know this guy's got something up his sleve!"

Gambit shrugged innocently. "You can check, but you won't find not'ing." He dropped the charged cards on the floor with a smile. "See, now Gambit be unarmed.

Jean nodded, smiling. "...Okay..." she sighed with a girlish giggle.

Cyclops' eyebrows raised significantly as the cards began to glow a little more. "Watch out, Jean!" he cried, shielding his girlfriend. "They're gonna blow!"

Wolverine acted before the young Cajun could even respond. He pinned the boy against the wall, two claws surrounding his neck. Logan was obviously considering whether or not to unleash the middle one. "You got five seconds before I skin ya, bub. Any last words?"

"Yeah," he said with an innocent smile. "Regarder derrière tu. Look behind you (tu was used because it's informal and shows Gambit's disrespect.)."

He gave Gambit a confused look, before being knocked off his feet as the cards exploded. Jean and Scott were also caught in the blast, though Cyclops had taken most of its force.

Remy took that moment to hop on his bike and high-tail it out of there. _No use fightin' dem now. Gotta make a good impression at least f'r Rogue's sake. _As he sped away from the institute, he frowned. _Too bad I never got t' say hi t' my lil' cherie. Oh well, guess Remy'll have t' take her out some other night._

"Are you okay?" Cyclops asked, helping Jean up.

She nodded, smiling at her boyfriend. "I'm fine, thanks to you."

"What was that all about?" he asked, watching Wolverine get on his motorcycle and presumably attempt to chase down Gambit. He turned back to Jean. "And don't look at me like that! You were totally into him!"

She stiffened at the accusation. "Only because he _charmed_ me!"

"_Charmed you?_ Where'd you come up with _that_?"

"Well, that's what he does!" she shouted. "And you were the genius who had to make him blow up the garage?"

"You're the one who supported him and Rogue hanging out together in the first place!"

Jean was about to retort when Scott interrupted her.

He shrieked and ran towards his car, which was presently covered in debris from the explosion. "**MY CAR**!!!" he wailed. "That stupid jerk ruined my car!"

* ~ *

Rogue turned the page of _Demon in my View _with a sigh of relaxation (a/n: is it just me or is Evo Rogue a bookworm?). She was finally content. Her headache was gone, and no one knew about the real events of last night. Well, if no one was everyone excluding Kitty, Kurt, and all the people Kurt told, which included, but were not limited to: Bobby who told Amara who told Roberto who told Jamie Ray who told Sam who told Tabitha, and finally Jean. Was she forgetting a few others? Probably.

She smiled wickedly. _Oh, Kurt, an you thought ah was only kidding about the electric razor thing._

Nightcrawler had been innocently watched _Buffy_ reruns with her and Bobby when she had slipped out and came back with her revenge. Kurt had jumped up, screamed, and teleported out of the room with a brand new bald spot.

While she was basking in the glory of her previous retribution, Wolverine came into the den with a frown. "We need to talk, Stripes," he said gruffly.

Rogue froze. _Uh-oh_, she thought. _Let's hope Kurt's big mouth didn't make it's way down t' Mr. Logan._

She put on her best smile and set down the book. "Sure. What about?"

He sat down in the chair across from her. "Did you borrow some one's motorcycle today?"

"Umm... no."

"Well, we had a little friendly visit from a certain Cajun who claimed you borrowed his bike. _And _he managed to blow up most of the garage, but that's not the point. Do ya know the kid?"

"Of course," she replied. "Isn't he Gambit? The boy who gave me the exploding card?"

"Yeah, that's him," Logan snarled. "Smells like trouble if ya ask me."

"Oh, well, ah wouldn't know." Rogue averted her eyes. "It's not like we're friends or anythin'."

"That's not what Storm tells me," he replied with a smirk. "She knows all the gossip around here. Word has it that you two are a couple."

She sighed. "It's only gossip, Mr. Logan."

"It better be," he said seriously. "Or believe me, I'll slice that Cajun up into jambalaya."

Rogue knew he wasn't joking. "So... uh... are ya really takin' me t' Mystique's?"

He nodded. "If you're ready t' go I can take ya over there right now, kid."

"Well, ah guess now's as good a time as any," she responded with a soft sigh.

Wolverine looked at her strangely. "Why do you want to talk to Mystique anyway? I mean, you _do _remember everything she did to ya, don't you?"

_Ah'm only goin' cause Kitty had t' make up the stupidest excuse in the history o' man. _She smiled up at him. "Um, it's just kinda complicated."

"I see," Logan replied skeptically.

* ~ *

Colossus stared at the painting in front of him with disgust. "It's still no good..." he groaned, preparing to discard the disaster.

"Looks fine t' Gambit," Remy replied, peering at the work from over his roommate's shoulder. The model was fairly pretty in an innocent sort of way. She had brown hair that was swept up in a ponytail and hazel eyes. Actually, it reminded him of one of Rogue's friends. "Hey, homme, ain't dat one o' de X-Geeks? Kitty or somet'ing?"

He blushed a little. "Yes. She's in my art class and I thought she'd make a beautiful work of art."

Gambit let out a low whistle. "Looks like you got it bad. Mebbe you show Kitty one o' dose paintin's an she might return de feelin'... Filles girls really do go for de artistes artists- that wasn't obvious or anything."

"I'd be too embarrassed..." Piotr admitted sheepishly. "She probably thinks I'm only somebad guy**.**"

"You two could double-date wit me an Rogue, non?"

"So what _did _you two do last night?" he asked, changing the subject.

Remy smirked. "Dough Gambit wished John's words were true, we didn't do not'ing much but talk an hold hands. Rogue can't touch people wit out dem bein' hurt."

"You really like her, don't you?" he asked. "Our famous ladies' man is actually falling for one girl!"

He shook his head. "Gambit never belonged t' one girl."

Piotr shook his head with a chuckle. "Deny it all you want, Remy, but we all know you like her."

* ~ *

Rogue rang the doorbell with impatience. _Let's just get this over with..._ she thought. _What's a good conversation starter with her anyway? Maybe "So, who are you pretending to be these days?" would be a good ice-breaker._

Mystique answered the door. "Hi, sweetheart," she said.

The goth cringed at her adoptive mother's usage of pet names. _Why is she gettin' all mushy on me now? Just cause ah know her secret now doesn't mean she has t' act different._

"Well, are you going to come in or just stand there?"

"Ah'll come in," Rogue sighed. She turned and gave Wolverine some sort of hand signal. Reluctantly, Logan drove off as Rogue walked into the boarding house.

"We need to talk," Mystique said once they were inside.

_How many times have ah heard this before? _Rogue asked herself as she sat down on a half-way decent couch. "Yeah, what about? Didn't seem like ya wanted t' talk much before."

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't even start with me. You came here, so obviously you don't hate me as much as you pretend to."

Rogue propped her feet on the coffee table. "Believe me, this isn't mah first pick on how t' spend mah Sunday night. Ah had no choice but t' come here."

"And how else would you spend tonight?" Mystique asked snidely, pacing a bit. She stopped and looked her foster daughter straight in the eye. "Perhaps you intended to spend the evening with that pickpocket you seem so fond of."

"Whatever Kurt said, it was a lie."

She smirked. "Ah, but I only need him to clarify my suspicions."

Rogue looked up at her strangely. "You were that psycho blonde chick in the park!" she exclaimed, pointing an condemning finger.

Raven chuckled. "Close, dear, but no cigar." She shifted into the male police officer Rogue had encountered the day before. "Remember me?"

"Y'r a lot sicker than ah thought!" she exclaimed, rising from the couch in anger. "T' trick me like that! Ah honestly thought ya were gonna shoot me!"

"Now why would I do that?"

"Wouldn't be completely outta character," Rogue mumbled, remembering the time that Mystique had tried to throw she and Cyclops off a cliff.

"That's not fair," the woman replied, offended. "I truly do care for you. That's why I wanted to talk to you about Gambit."

"Lemme guess, you think it's a bad idea, don'tcha?" Rogue asked.

"Well, yes-"

"See!" Rogue interrupted. "Jean an Kitty might think it's cute, but y'r just like the rest o' them! So what if ah like him? He's honest an kind- even Remy's got better qualities than _you_!" She was surprised at the words tumbling out of her mouth. _Why am ah standin' up f'r him?_

"He's a liar and a cheat," Mystique retorted with contempt. "He works for Magneto for Christ's sake! What does that fact alone tell you about your boyfriend's moral judgment?"

She gave her a look of death. "Yeah, well you should be talkin'. Correct me if ah'm wrong, but you sound just like a hypocrite right now. Why should you o' all people be givin' me advice on 'moral judgment'? You sure as hell weren't around t' teach me life lessons like that!"

"Watch your language, young lady!"

"No!" Rogue screamed. "Ah'm sick o' listenin' t' ya insult an berate me! You think ah'm a child! Ah can handle mah own life! You weren't there when ah was younger- an recently ya've only been around t' royally fuck me up!"

Mystique's voice was lowered into a dangerous hiss as she stood inches away from Rogue. "Don't you ever talk to me like that again. You may not think I'm your mother, but I am. I've been more of a mother to you than the one who conceived you, so don't pull that 'you neglected me' bullshit. I've been there, and I have a right to tell my daughter why she may not date a certain biy. I didn't adopt you to loose my motherly privileges, did I?"

She sighed and collapsed back on the couch in defeat. Mystique did have a point. "Then talk."

"Rogue, need I remind you that boys with his reputation are only after one thing?"

"No, ah know that's what it seems like. But... why would he want me if he just wanted sex?"

She inhaled sharply. "I don't know, dear. Sometimes, men enjoy the chase. Over time, though, he will realize that without a prize, it wasn't worth it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Her heart sank. "...Yeah. Ah get it."

"Now, I'm not saying you aren't worth the chase. You are an extremely beautiful young woman, and I can see why he was easily attracted to you. However, you know as well as I do that guys like Gambit are the hands-on type. Although I don't approve of any relationship going in that direction, it will never even stray down that road. You simply can't be touched, and you will never have a normal relationship because of that."

"Besides, you could do much better than a scoundrel like ."

"Yeah right," Rogue said, sinking further into the cushions. Raven's words hadn't helped very much. "Even Scott never liked me."

"Well, look who's he's dating," replied Mystique with a disgusted face. "I think it's definitely safe to say that Mr. Morality got the short end of the stick."

She would've laughed if she didn't feel so depressed.

The older woman sat down next to Rogue and put her arm around her. "Aw, don't tell me you're mad about what I said?"

"No," she lied.

Mystique sighed. "You wanted honesty from me, didn't you?" She paused. "Well, I honestly don't think it will work out between you two. And that's the truth."

Anger flushed Rogue's face as she pushed her mother away. "You have no right to even say that! How many relationships have worked out in your case? You couldn't even sustain one with your children!"

She opened her mouth as though to say something, but Rogue spoke first. "Ah can't believe ah'm even listenin' t' y'r advice on boys! You've never even been married, though you've had Kurt an Gawd knows how many other kids!"

"Rogue tha-"

She rose from the couch. "What's next? If you keep talkin' about things you don't know about, then why birth control? Or parentin'? You wanna talk about that?"

"Rogue, listen to me!"

"NO!" she yelled. The sound echoed through the house, and the Brotherhood hid even farther away from the two angry women. "Ah'm not lettin' _you _tell me how t' live mah life!"

"It's my life as well!" Mystique argued. "I raised you!"

"That's where y'r wrong," she snapped, opening the door to leave. "Irene raised me."

Mystique grabbed Rogue's arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

She yanked her arm from the woman's grasp. "Home!"

"How?"

"Ah'll walk!" she screamed, slamming the door.

Mystique watched as the door closed right in her face. She sighed. _Wow. I really screwed up there, didn't I?_

Rogue wrapped her arms around her body, trying to keep warm. She wished she hadn't been so angry and stubborn. Maybe then she would've thought to grab her coat on her way out.

Someone already had that in mind. A brown trench coat was lay on her shoulders. She pulled it tightly around her body as she looked up into Remy's sympathetic eyes. "Hey," she said softly.

"Quel est mauvais what's wrong, chere?" he asked. The concern was written all over his face.

She offered a weak smile. "Nothin', just some... family issues."

Gambit didn't pry. "You need a ride?"

Rogue nodded. "Yeah."

She shivered in the cold, January air as she climbed onto Gambit's bike. She held onto his waist and laid her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "Gambit...?" she said as he started up the bike.

"Hmmm?"

"...Thanks."

* ~ *

**Author's Note:** Okay I know a few people are going to think Mystique had a major case of the bitchness in this chapter. Let me explain. I feel, being a big fan of Mystique, that she does things like that to her family because she's trying to protect them the only way she knows how. Basically, she was mean to Rogue (telling her that she can never have a relationship because she can't touch) because she didn't want her to get hurt later on. Mystique likes to dish out the hurt first, in some warped way of shielding the people she loves from the worse hurt that will come later on. I know this sounds silly, because I'm probably just not making sense here, but I have to stand up for Raven here! She's not evil! She's just misunderstood- really!

Oh, and the whole car thing was a total exaggeration. I know Scott isn't THAT obsessed with his car (ie: "We can't go out tonight, I have to wash it), but him freaking out about having his car wrecked AGAIN is no exaggeration. I would probably cry if that happened to me. ;-)

**And for my wonderful reviewers:**

**Sujakata: **Glad you enjoyed the latest chapter. And yes, obviously Remy is going fall for our little Southern belle. But hasn't she fallen for him as well? ;-)

**Lady MR: ***bows* Thank you, thank you. Glad someone appreciates my comical genius! And you did see what Mystique thought about Gambit and Rogue. How awesome is that? And I love Maggie torture too!

**starlightz6: **Yes, I have only focused on a few characters reactions, but people like Mystique, Magneto, Scott, Logan, now Jean, and the lot of them _do_ think the relationship is a bad idea. I will try to add some more responses from the "uptight" X-Men. It would be a good idea to have Rogue experience the negative feedback. That's what I was trying to get here with her talking to Mystique. Understand now? Thanks for the review!

**evolutionary spider:** I'm excited you like this story! Yes, the acolytes are cool. I'm actually considering adding more of a little hint of a romance between Kitty and Colossus (did you catch the painting?), but I assure you it will only be like a side-bar. I will try to add more Gambit POV, but I'm a chick, and I have difficulty writing guy feelings and stuff. So I have an excuse for Gambit neglect! ;-)

**ishandahalf:** It was a pleasure to convince you that Rogue was NOT a prep. Don't ever insult my Rogue like that again. She was very angry. :-) I will add more Rogue bad-assness in later chapters.

**LinkinPark4ever: ***blushes* Wow! I am very flatter that you added me to your favorites list. I am adding you to my favorite people list. ;-)


	7. Scool Daze

Queen of Hearts

Chapter Eight: School Daze or Back to Half-Normalcy

* ~ *

The alarm clock woke Rogue with a start. The caterwauling of some rock star was cut short when her fist met the snooze button. The Southerner beat the clock into a silent oblivion before rolling over and burying her face in a pillow. "Ten more minutes," she mumbled.

"Come on, Rogue, get up!" Kitty sang rather cheerfully for a Monday morning. Then again, the pony-tail loving brunette was always cheerful.

"Go away," she moaned in reply.

Kitty wasn't about to give up. She tore off Rogue's blankets with a smile. "I won't let you, like, sleep in again. Gambit might be at school today, you know. You don't want to, like, look like Medusa in front of him, do you?"

Rogue forced herself up, but tried to remain cool and composed. She refused to let her roommate know how much she really did care for Remy. "Ah see don't see y'r point. Ten minutes won't hurt."

"Oh please, I've lived with you for, like, more than a year. Ten minutes would totally turn into ten hours! I know sleeping habits too well. Besides, you only have, like, forty-five minutes to get ready anyway."

She panicked. "No way forty-five minutes is enough f'r me t' get ready. Ah mean, ah need a shower an it takes me forevah t' put on all mah make-up, an..."

"Then hurry it up girl!" Kitty said with a giggle.

Rogue nodded, practically sprinting through the hallway. There was quite a line to the bathroom, but most of the new recruits moved out of the way upon her arrival. Only Berzerker was foolish enough to remain in his spot by the bathroom door. He had saw her rushing down the stairs, yet he stood in place.

"Move! Ah need t' use th' bathroom." she snapped at Ray. She folded her arms across her chest to add effect.

"Well, so do I, sister," he replied with a raised eyebrow and challenging eyes. "But there's a line and I was here first."

She dangled a bare hand to his bare face. "Oh really?" she inquired. Her emerald eyes simply narrowed into slits. Ray and all the others knew that look all too well. It was the look that clearly read: "You'll let me get my way or I'll flat line you in seconds." She gave the boy a disturbing smile, which just added to the dangerous expression etched on her fair features. "We'll just see about that, sugah."

He gulped, backing away. "Uh, uh, well- um... be my guest. You know, ladies first. Gotta be a gentleman, right?" 

Rogue's unnatural smile grew. "Why, how considerate of you. Remind me not to hate you for at least ten minutes."

"She's really not a morning person, is she?" Amara whispered to Rahne, who only shook her head meekly.

Pale fists pounded on the wooden door. "Whoevah's in here, ya got ten seconds t' get out b'fore ah bust in!"

"Take a chill pill, Rogue," Bobby said. "I have to take a shower to make myself look even more hot than I usually am. Wait, is that impossible?"

She smirked. "Yeah, y'r made o' ice, Bobby," she snapped sarcastically. "Now let me in. No amount o' water, soap, hair gel, or cologne is gonna make ya decent. Y'r wastin' time."

"Patience is a virtue," came his reply.

Rogue growled in anger and frustration. She thought of just kicking the door down until Kitty walked by. She smiled and grabbed Kitty's wrist. "Sorry, Pryde. Desperate times call f'r desperate measures."

The girl didn't even get to respond before she collapsed on the floor. "Yet another one ah owe ya," the goth said with the best apologetic face she could muster.

"Okay, Drake," Rogue said, turning to the door. "Ah warned ya. Ah'm comin' in."

"How are you gonna do that, Roguey?" he asked smugly. "The door's kinda locked."

Losing her patience, she phased right through the wooden door. There was a crash, a scream, and a half-iced boy who came bounding through the bathroom door, shrieking bloody murder. The students in the line all laughed at Iceman as he raced down the hall and into his room. Amara and Jubilee even gave the class clown a few cat calls to add to his mortification.

After turning the lock on the door, Rogue sighed in content as she stripped down and climbed into the shower that Bobby had left running in his race out of the room. A sigh escaped from her lips and the warm water danced across her skin. _Finally some peace an quiet in this hell hole._

***BAMF***

"Zorry, but I forgot my toothbrush!"

_Guess ah spoke too soon, _Rogue thought. "NIGHTCRAWLER!" she bellowed with a mix of anger and surprise. "How many times do we have t' tell ya t' knock b'fore ya 'port?!"

"Vell, ze average person needs to have somefink repeat five times before zey memorize it. Kitty must have told me about a zillion times..."

Rogue growled. "Well... Knock b'fore ya 'port, knock b'fore ya 'port, knock b'fore ya 'port!" she exclaimed.

"However, ze average mutant probably needs tvice ze repetition!"

"Or th' average idiot..." she muttered.

"Vhat vas zat you said, Schwester sister?"

"Get the hell outta th' bathroom is what ah said!" she snapped, throwing a bar of soap from behind the curtain.

***BAMF***

The fuzzy elf teleported before the soap could reach him. Instead, Rogue heard a crash as it collided with the various bottles of hair products sitting on the bathroom sink.

"Why can't ah evah get t' take a shower in some damn peace?" she mumbled to herself. "If everythin' keeps up like this ah'll never get t' school..."

* ~ *

"So what new with you an' that sheila, Rogue?" Pyro inquired as he, Colossus, and Gambit sat picking at their mystery meat in the school cafteteria.

"Haven't seen her all day t'day," he replied with a worried glance. "Remy knows she got lunch dis period, but she seems t' be avoidin' me. Saw her in th' hall, but she high-tailed it outta dere."

"Smart girl," Piotr muttered.

"Ah, ya wound me, Tin Man," Remy said. "But 'm sure Roguey, she got some explanation foh her behavior. Mebbe she went home sick or somet'in'."

"Or somethin'," John said with a laugh. "Don't know what the bloody hell she sees in ya, mate. But I definitely see what ya see in her. That sheila got some mad curves. Wish I could get my hands on her..."

"But you can't," Piotr retorted before Gambit could fit in a word, flipping a page of the novel he was reading. "Because you're already set on setting your hands on that bony, fire-work starting Asian."

"At least I don't like that Valley Girl!" he shot back.

"Garçons boys, calm down. Jus' cause mon fille is better den yohs ain't give you any right t' fight wit eachother. We won' do Maggie no good when we all déchiré aux brins ripped to shreds, will we?"

"Don't big note yourself," the orange-haired Aussie snorted. "Like to rip that idiot apart, though. Always treatin' us like we're a bunch anklebiters kids. Or worse, his bloody personal slaves!"

"Like t' hear you say dat t' his face," Remy challenged.

The boy shrank back instinctively. "Do I look like I wanna come a gutzer get hurt?"

"If you keep talking like that, you will," Piotr muttered under his breath.

"What'd you say, Petey?" John inquired while examining his fries. "Hey, what do they put in these things anyway? They look bloody plastic."

The Russian ignored the boy and continued what he did best, which was staying silent and out of the conversation. Colossus was obviously not a very social person, and wished Pyro would just shut up already.

John discarded the fries and focused his attention on something more interesting. "Hey, mate, ain't that her over there sittin' alone?" he asked Remy.

Gambit's eyes roamed over the crowd to see the back of Rogue's head. She was reading a book as usual. Probably something by Anne Rice. "Oui, dat would be her. Wonder why she's been avoidin' me."

"Well, aren't ya gonna talk to her, mate?"

He nodded and rose from his chair, excusing himself. The Cajun then sauntered over to Rogue, tapping her on her clothed shoulder. "Chere?"

Rogue almost jumped five feet in the air. Her book automatically shut, and the mutant lost the page she was reading. "Don'tcha have enough decency t' at least give me fair warnin' before ya go an scare th' shit outta me?"

Remy shrugged. "Gambit a t'ief. He got it in his instinct t' be sneaky." The cover of Rogue's novel caught his attention and he picked it up. "_Cerulean Sins_, eh? Sounds a bit racy..."

She hated herself for blushing in front of him as she quickly snatched the paperback from his hands. "What ah read is really none o' ya business, Swamp Rat."

" 'Suppose dat's meant t' be an insult, non? Guess it might hurt if it wasn't comin' from a Mississippi River Rat," he teased.

"Is _that_ an insult, Cajun?" she snapped, but couldn't fight the smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. "O' course it's not like ah care. Remember th' last time ya pissed me off?"

"You kissed me!" he exclaimed, clutching his chest in mock pain. "It was horrible, chere! Please... do it again."

She giggled and rolled her eyes at the same time as a few people turned to stare at the couple in the lunch room. "Y'r embarrassin' me. Sit down. Now."

"Very commandin', beb," he replied as he took a seat. He winked. "Remy likes a fille in charge, dough."

"What are ya doin' over here anyway?"

Remy studied her pretty face more closely. There was something different about her that day. _Mebbe she really is ill, _he thought. Her normally deathly pale face as glowing healthily. Her usually dark violet lips were now a natural, sensuous pink, and her emerald eyes were sparkling more clearly without the constant competition for attention with her dark purple eyeshadow. _Did she do somet'in' different wit her make-up t' day? _Then it hit him. _She's not wearin' any make-up at all. _

"Chere, you feeling sick?" he asked gravely.

Instinctively, the goth felt her forehead. It was cool. "What are ya talkin' about?"

"You didn't wear any face paint today."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is there a problem with that? Ah didn't have time t' put it on this mornin'. Ya don't have t' act like it was a fuckin' crime!"

He grinned, reaching out to brush a stray hair from her eyes. "Did I ever tell ya how mignon cute ya look when ya mad? 'Sides, ya look too pretty t' be coverin' yo' self up wit dat crap."

"Ya never give up, do ya?" she asked in half annoyance. "Why are you even here?"

"Ain't it obvious?" Remy inquired with a hurt expression. "Gambit jus' want t' have yoh company."

When she didn't reply, he continued. "Which reminds me, Remy would like yo' company on Valentine's day. Dat is o' course, if ya don' already have a date."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you know me, Rem. Ah'm so irresistible."

"Well I coulda told ya dat, chere."

Rogue focused on the cover illustration of her book, avoiding eye contact with him. "Ah guess. But we bettah be doin' somethin' good."

"Harsh, chere, real harsh. But trust me, it'll be de best Valentine's day yet."

She smiled wryly. "If you say so..."

The lunch bell rang, and students groaned as they gathered up their things to return to class. Remy turned to Rogue and smiled. "Carry yo' books, chere?"

She sighed. "Remy, really... that's so stupid an ol' fashioned an-"

He already had them in his arms. "You get t' pick de place dis time," he informed her.

Rogue followed Gambit as he walked her to her French class. "Ah'm sure whatevah you pick will be fine. Besides, ah _want_ ya t' surprise me."

"Well den you gonna have de biggest surprise in yo' life," he said. Remy turned and grinned at her. "Cause Remy- he de best."

"So cocky..." she mused. "What am ah gonna do with ya, Cajun?"

"Remy got a list at home," he replied with a wink. "But I left it my other pants."

Rogue groaned. "That has t' be _the worst_ line ah've heard in mah life!"

"What do ya want fo' a gift?" he asked. "You don' look like a rose type of fille."

"Not really," she replied. Rogue glared when Gambit began to grin like a fool. "Ya bettah not give me lingerie!"

"Wouldn't dream o' it, p'tite..." he answered with a mock-innocent face. "But since you gave me de idea..."

"Don'tcha dare!" she fumed. "It bettah be appropriate!"

He chuckled. "You'll jus' have t' wait an' see, chere. It's a surprise, after all."

"You-!" she exclaimed. Rogue yanked her books from his arms and stomped down the hallway. Remy leaned by a locker and laughed. "Dat fille sure full o' spirit," he murmured to himself.

A locker beside him slammed. "And you have a lot of guts," a voice snapped.

Gambit turned to face an extremely pissed Cyclops. "Uh- thanks?"

"No, thank you," he snarled sarcastically. "Thanks to you, my car has to go through its third major repair."

"I'm guessin' sorry ain't gonna help de situation, is it?" Remy retorted.

"Not really," he said. "I'll send you the bill."

Scott walked away, and Gambit considered blowing up his locker too. _Don' t'ink Rogue would be too happy 'bout dat, dough. An my objective is t' get on her good side._

As if on cue, Cyclops turned. "Oh, and stay away from Rogue- if you know what's good for you."

* ~ *

Dinner that night at the institute was uneventful. The students, of course, had been talking non-stop about Valentine's day and their dates. When Jean and Scott weren't making goo-goo eyes at eachother, Kurt was asking Roberto for gift ideas. He wanted the best present for his girlfriend, Amanda.

Kitty was unusually silent through the whole conversation, and only Rogue really knew why. She was upset about not having a date ever since she and Lance split. Rogue had to give the girl props, though, she was doing a pretty good job at hiding her feelings.

"I hope I get a Valentine from somebody," Boom Boom whined. "I mean, come on, guys, who wouldn't want to be _my _valentine?"

"Anybody sane..." Bobby mummbled.

"I heard that!"

*POP*

Bobby's mashed potatoes exploded right in his face. "Hey!" 

Tabitha picked up her milk with a smirk. She tipped it, but nothing would come out. "You froze my milk, you little creep!"

Of course, a major food fight ensued between Tabby and Bobby. Eventually, all the new mutants joined in until Logan, Hank, and Storm broke them apart and sentenced them to a week of dishes.

Rogue smiled to herself, and turned to comment to Kitty about the whole fiasco, but the girl had quietly slipped out of the dining room.

The Southerner stood up and excused herself, walking to her room. Upon opening the door, she heard soft sobs muffled by a pillow. Kitty lay on the bed, crying.

She sat on the edge of the bed by her roommate and sighed. "Kitty, what's wrong? Is this about Lance?"

The brunette looked up with tear-soaked eyes. "No! It's just that- well, I don't have a valentine," she sobbed.

"Do you realize how silly y'r soundin' right now, sugah?"

Kitty wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. "It may sound, like, stupid, but you wouldn't understand. I mean, you have Gambit."

Rogue nodded. "Yeah ah do have Gambit, but we both know it won't ever be as normal as what you could have. Ah would be sympathizin' with ya, but just because no one's asked ya yet don't mean they're not gonna ask. Maybe they're just shy."

"Or maybe they don't like me," she retorted with a sniff.

"Okay, how about this: if nobody gives you a valentine on Friday, ya can dress me up all funny an ah'll wear the get-up all day."

"Anything?" Kitty asked, a trace of a smile forming on her face.

"Anythin'."

She giggled. "Even, like, Jean's cheerleading uniform?"

Rogue stiffened. "Okay, now that's just too far!"

Kitty grinned. "You promised!"

"Ah did, didn't ah?" she said with a smile.

"Thanks, Rogue," Kitty said softly.

Rogue reached for a box of tissues on her nightstand. She offered it to the girl. "No problem. That's what friends are for."

Shadowcat blew her nose loudly. "Okay, like, then I get to do something nice for you."

"Like what?" she asked warily.

"I get you dress you up for your date on Friday."

She frowned. "An how is that nice, Kitty?"

She giggled. "Oh, don't be such a spoilsport. I already have a few ideas. How about, like, a pink minidress? You'd look totally adorable!"

Rogue's eyes widened in fear. "Um, how about no?"

* ~ *

**Author's Note:** _Sorry so short- obviously to be continued! The hint of Bobby and Rogue romance is just that: a hint. Rogue will be with Gambit in this fic if I have to kill someone. ;-) Oooh, I may even give this story more a plot later! Anyone feel like a team-up against Apocalypse or is that too over-done? I am also considering a whole Assassin/Thieves show down (that ties w/ Malick and Nicole comments about being driven out of New Orleans). But it has to be one or the other- not both. AND I WILL DEFINITELY ADD A VALENTINE'S DAY CHAPTER. Go me. And sorry for taking forever and a half to update this... I've had issues and major writer's block and- wow I'm gonna run out of excuses, huh? I have no excuse for my other fics, though. I'm only updating this one I just have a major fondness for it! And sorry if Scott was OOC, but he is a jerk to people a lot. Take Lance for example. And plus, he had a reason to be mean. Come on guys, he has to fix that car AGAIN!_

**And for my lovely reviewers:**

**yo mama: **Lane, you're a dork! I know it was you! And I don't know when Remy and Rogue are going to mack, but probably not anytime soon. I want to play on a Rogue and Remy relationship with her powers, to add something a lot of Romys don't have. I want to still have that conflict that makes their relationship so special. Then again, you must remember that you can't use NC-17 on ff.net anymore. So any "macking" chapter I write will never satisfy your perverted mind. ;-)

**ristyness:** Whoa... thanks very much for the thorough review. I appreciated and will use your _many_ comments to make this fic better. I'm glad you like the humor too. I thought I was over-doing it for a while, especially since a lot of people didn't comment on it. But now I know I have a fan! Did you like the Professor-wanna be Kurt? lol Bald spots are sexy... not. I'm glad you don't think this story is too mushy, either. I have a habit of being too mushy- maybe partially because I'm a hopeless romantic.

**ShojoAngel: **Thanks for the lovely review! Ummm... I'm not sure what you mean about the Professor thing. I don't really like him (thanks to X-Treme X-Men grrr), so I've been trying to ignore him. But I don't think I'm making him the bad guy... if I am I'm sorry for the Professor abuse! he he. Yeah, Jean was pretty OOC, wasn't she? I don't like Jean, so I usually don't use her, so when I do use her it usually isn't the real Jean because I hate the real Jean. :-)

**Nychus:** If I remember correctly, Rogue absorbed Gambit many times. That was the main reason why she left him to die in the Antarctic. She absorbed his memories and apparently didn't like the fact that he was a murderer. They have had an issue where he created some bio-electric field, but that was only in the Gambit miniseries and it wasn't permanent. I think whoever wrote that was on crack. It was like: Oh, here it is! Rogue can touch Gambit! Then it just disappeared. Weird huh? Just like the fact that Rogue whines about not being able to touch. There are many alternatives out there. Shi'ar clothing or a Genoshian collar anyone? Grr Marvel pisses me off.

**Trunks-Girl: **Thank you! I feel really appriciated!

**Rosebud15: **Yay! Amelia kicks! Glad there's another fan out there! 

**girl4chat86: **Thanks! Yeah... Mystique and her tough love. Oh well. At least she didn't try to throw her off a cliff this time, eh?

**LotusPen:** Yay! I am converting people to love Mystique. Or is that a bigger step than understanding her? :-) Hmmmm... I considered setting up John with Jubilee. What do you think?

**starlightz6: **Glad that people hate Remy? Shame on you! Mystique better be wrong about the relationship not working out or this fic will be baaad.

**ishandahalf: **It's okay. Rogue forgives you. Especially since you loved the last part.

**Saiyan Brat: **Thanks!

**Lady MR: **Ha ha the old comic tensions of Logan and Remy. I thought I might add a part where Storm gives Rogue her blessing because she likes Remy, sort of a reference to the fact that Stormy and him are friends in the comics. Eeeek! Don't tear Mysti's throat out! You melted? Hmmm... *picks up a mop and cleans up the floor*

**Scout: **Thanks! I am planning on writing A LOT more of this pointless mush. ...Unless I get lazy.

**Berry Toastman: **I love you too! But I can't marry you. I'm in love with Remy! We have something special! ;-) And though I must object at the "best Romy author" comment, I am veeeery flattered! Maybe I will marry you. Remy doesn't say nice things to me like that...


	8. Saint Valentine

Queen of Hearts

Chapter Nine: Saint Valentine

* ~ *

Normal Friday mornings at Bayville High would've been slow and boring- if it was just any other day. Only after sixth hour would the chaos reign. After noon the school day would be coming to an end and would soon open its arms to the weekend. However, that Friday was no normal day. It was Valentine's day, and the pandemonium had already started at 7:45 AM. 

The whole hall swirled around Rogue in a blur of reds and pinks. The plain, beige walls of the school had been heavily decorated with cut-out hearts, cupids, and arrows. Couples exchanged kisses and gifts by the lockers, while the solo students exchanged kiddy Valentines with their friends. It was enough to make her sick. 

Being the usual rebel, Rogue had ignored the Valentine hype. Instead of wearing the Old Navy red and rhinestoned, Valentine's day-themed, six dollar tee shirt everyone in their **wrong** mind was wearing, she decided to stick with her usual grunge style. Even Kitty couldn't get her to change her mind about her dress. 

_"Don't you want to, like, impress Remy?" Kitty had asked._

_ "He's never complained about mah clothin' b'fore. An if he don't like it, tough. Ah ain't changin' anythin' f'r him."_

Rogue shook the memory away with a smile. She was right. She shouldn't have to change to make Remy happy. He should like her just the way she was. 

As she walked into the bathroom, the age-old insecurities struck the girl again. She caught her reflection in the mirror as she reapplied her make-up. _Maybe ah shoulda done somethin' different t'day... _she thought with a frown. 

She stared at the green shirt she wore. It brought out the emerald in her eyes. Gambit would like that. Her eyes caught the patches and pins that cluttered the top. _You suck and that's sad,_ a teary eyed bunny proclaimed. It was fastened to her right shoulder. _Another brilliant mind ruined by education, _another pin said. Rogue smirked. _Charmin'..._

And the jeans weren't any better. Kitty bought them last Christmas. The fifty dollar Silvers were another foiled attempt to bring Rogue back into the trendy world. She wore them because they looked good on her, and her roommate was surprised and please- only to flip out when Rogue tore the knees and punctured the denim with various safety pins. 

Her face? She looked like she had been resurrected- too pale. And her make-up just looked like dark rings around her eyes. She wore it because it was her fashion, her protection. 

_"Ya look too pretty t' be coverin' yo' self up wit dat crap."_

_ Maybe he's right..._

Rogue experimentally wiped off the purple eye shadow on her right eye with the back of her hand. She looked beautiful, but exposed. As if in a trance, she wiped off the make-up on her other eyelid. Then she wiped off the purple lipstick. She smiled at the finished product: a softer, prettier Rogue and a completely purple hand. 

She laughed softly and washed her hands. _He bettah be happy... _Rogue paused. _It's pretty obvious t' everyone that ah like the Swamp Rat... _she thought. _An ah guess ah _am_ pretty fond o' him, despite mah tryin' t' hide it. There's somethin' about Remy that just makes me feel... happy._

Happiness wasn't something she'd felt for a long time. Between fighting evil mutants that wanted to take over the world, fighting nasty humans who wanted to kill her, going to school, and dealing with wacko powers, Rogue didn't have much time to feel good. And Gambit filled that void whether she liked it or not. 

_But ah still can't trust th' Cajun. _

Sure, she had been inside his head, but she still questioned his relationship with her. Was it all for business or all for kicks? She didn't even want to consider that Gambit might actually like her. She still couldn't let her guard down. She had hurt so many people- and been hurt herself- in the past that she didn't know how to handle the new feelings Gambit raised inside her. 

_Well, ah guess you'll see t'night, _Rogue thought. She cast a weak smile at her reflection. She slung her book bag around her shoulder and blew a kiss into the air. "Eat y'r heart out, Remy LeBeau." 

* ~ * 

"Yo' sure she gon' like her present?" Remy whispered to Kitty during their first hour Geometry class. "I don' wan' screw dis up." 

"I'm, like, positive," she replied with a smile. "I know Rogue like the back of my hand. Anyway, we've planned this for, like, weeks. You can't change anything now." 

"Ya got a point dere, chere," he said. "Remy jus' wan' impress her, non?" 

Kitty grinned. "I've seen the way she looks at you. She even stands up for you. Like what happened with the garage. You've, like, already impressed her." 

"Ya think?" 

She giggled. "I, like, know." 

Gambit smiled. "Dat makes Remy happy. I really like her, ya know?" 

The girl nodded, and Remy was lost in his own thoughts. Haven't felt dis way 'bout a fille since Belladonna. _Non, _he thought. _Never even had dese feelin's fo' Belle. An dat's somet'in' t' say. After all, me an her, we s'posed t' be married. W gon' bring peace t' de guilds. Least dat's what Papa an Henri say. Gambit, dough, he know bettah den dat._

Home sickness tugged at his heart with each memory of the home he used to have. _I miss mon famille my family..._ he thought somberly. _Rogue almost made me forget de life I left b'hind. But even if I wanted t' come back, I couldn't. Now dat de world know 'm a mutant, I could never go an' but everyone in danger._

Seeing Nicole and Malick nights before had risen some hope. He though he might see his family, but he knew why Malick and his sister had come to New York; they were escaping the guild wars that ensnared the LeBeau family. If they left, the Assassins would kill the remaining thieves and destroy their home. 

"Hey, like, are you listening?" Kitty demanded. 

Remy blinked. "Huh? Oh, désolé sorry, chere, but I was jus' t'inkin. What did ya say?" 

"Oh, like, never mind!" she replied huffily. 

_Roguey is really startin' t' rub off on de fille, ain't she? _he asked himself, turning his attention over to the assignment Mr. Mohling had given. _Great, now I have two attitudes t' deal wit. At least one o' dem, she worth de effort!_

* ~ * 

"I feel so depressed," Tabitha whined as she, Amara, Jubilee, and Rahne ambled down the halls before their second hour class. She stopped by her locker to grab her Biology text book. "I mean, no one's given me a Valentine yet! And what's worse? I don't have a date either!" 

Rahne sighed. "Well, me either," she replied shyly. 

Amara looked sharply at the girl. "That's not true. Didn't Jamie give you a Valentine?" 

"Yeah, but that doesn't count," she replied, trying not to blush. 

"Well I didn't get one either," Jubilee admitted. "But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I mean us mutants aren't that popular around here, right?" 

"Unfortunately," Amara groaned. 

The pretty Asian bent down and dug into her locker and Boom Boom shut hers. "Hey, 'Mara, didn't you say that you got a Valentine from Roberto?" 

She blushed. "Yeah. It was... cute." 

"Awwww.... so sweet!" Tabitha teased while making kissy faces. 

"Hey, Jubes, what's that?" Magma asked suddenly. 

"Don't change the subject-!" Tabitha stopped and snatched a card from Jubilee's hand. "Oooh, looks juicy! This from your secret lover?" 

"Hardly," Jubilee retorted. "It's from- well, I haven't gotten that far!" The teen put her hands on her hips and glared at Tabitha. "Give that back, Tabby." 

"One of those stupid Hallmark cards. What a dork! Oooh, look there's a note though!" She coughed and continued in a funny voice. "'Dear Jubilee, I know you probably don't even know who I am but I sit a row or two across from you in Criminal Justice. Well, you're cute and so I was wondering if you'd want to be my Valentine? I know this is stupid, but I've never written something like this before. I'm going bananas so just please say yes.' It's signed by John Allderyce," she said while scratching her head at the last part. "Who the hell is John Allderdyce?" 

"Obviously he's in my Criminal Justice class. Though I don't see why he's in there. After all, he's Pyro. You know, the one who almost set an entire bridge on fire? One of Magneto's yes men?" 

Rahne looked at her friend suspiciously. "It doesn't sound like you're too fond of him." 

Jubilee shrugged, shutting her locker and tossing her long, raven locks behind her shoulder. "I don't want to sound like a bitch, but he's an Acolyte. I'm an X now, and we both need to stay where we belong, which is on our teams." 

Amara let out a low whistle and tagged after her friend, who was already ten steps ahead of her and the others. "That was harsh." 

"Real harsh," Tabitha agreed. She dropped the card. "Are you PMSing again?" 

Jubilee rolled her eyes and put on her headphones. The Strokes drowned out Tabitha's voice. "Whatever." 

Pyro had seen the whole thing and now watched the card float slowly to the tile floor. He felt the pain of rejection twist at his heart. 

"Guess we all can't charm the X girls into liking us, can we?" 

* ~ * 

"Get me my Valentine's present yet, chere?" 

Rogue nearly jumped out of her skin. Well, in reality she jumped about two feet and bumped her head on the top locker's edge. "Oww! Cajun, you retard! Ya always have t' scare me. Cain't ya like cough or somethin' t' save me the heartache?" 

"An ruin de chance o' surprisin' you? Not a chance! An ya never answered my question." 

Rogue dumped a load of notebooks into the messy contents of her locker. "Maybe ah do an maybe ah don't," she replied demurely. "But you won't find out until after school." 

"An neither will you," he replied evenly. "Not even de date." 

"Not even where we're goin'?" she asked, surprised. 

"Non." 

"But-!" she protested. "How am ah gonna find out what t' wear?" 

Remy raised an eyebrow. _Maybe Kitty rubbed off on her too. Jeesh, one day dey're gonna be jus' like twins or somet'in'. _"Since when did 'Miss 'm A Rebel' care 'bout what people t'ought 'bout what she wore?" 

"Ah don't," she snapped. "Just thought it might be helpful. Ah gotta look good 'cause some _real _gentlemen might be there." 

He laughed. "Check yo' backpack, chere." 

Rogue gave him a quizzical glance, and did as he told her to. She peered into the black JanSport anxiously. A red box had been placed inside- presumably by Gambit. She took it out and untied to silver ribbon fasten on the outside. Inside the box was black, lacy lingerie and a note that read: Thanks for the suggestion. 

"Ah cain't b'lieve you actually did that-!" she began while turned beet red, but when she turned to give Remy her famous "death glare," he was gone. 

_Stupid Cajun, _she thought, shoving the skimpy clothing back into the box. Even so, she couldn't help but smile. Soon, that smile turned into laughter that echoed down the hallways. _Lingerie... ah mean, really!_

* ~ * 

"Piotr, why don't you sit next to Katherine today? Chris was ill, and he'll need a seat up front so I can explain things to him," Mrs. Schultz, Bayville's middle-aged art teacher, said. 

He rose from his seat and moved to the back row, taking a seat beside Kitty. 

"Uh, hi," she said nervously. 

"Hey," he said quietly, pulling out his sketch book. 

"What's that?" Kitty inquired. 

He showed her some sketches he had drawn of anything from a vase to the trees outside the classroom. "Just some doodles I make." 

"Wow, they're, like, so great! No wonder why you have an A in this class," Kitty said with a smile. Her smile faded. "Man, I have a B-. I've never gotten a B- in my life! I haven't even gotten an A-. Well, except for PE. I just, like, don't get art at all!" 

"There isn't much to get," Piotr said honestly. "But you're such a smart girl. Maybe you're just focusing on getting things perfect and not expressing how you feel." 

Kitty pointed to the painting she was working on. It was a portrait of a forest wilderness. "Well, I don't feel anything. It's, like, just trees." 

"The object is to have a mood or a theme in your painting," he said. 

Piotr was pretty impressed about how easily he could communicate with Kitty. Even when he was talking about his one true love, painting, he could never express himself verbally. That's probably why he was so good at communicating things in his paintings. Kitty was a natural born talker; he could tell. Some how, though, the two of them just seemed to click. 

"I do have a mood... it's trees." 

_Who is this guy?_ Kitty thought. _He's, like, way dreamier now than when he was just Colossus..._

"No, you don't understand. See, my forest represents the dark feelings of hatred and fear that humans direct towards mutants. You just have to find something you want your forest to personify." 

"That's, like, sooo... deep...." she sighed, staring into his brown eyes. 

He stared back, too, for the longest time. _She's really pretty and smart_, he thought. _It's what I've always liked in her. Should I ... ask?_

"Uh, Kitty?" 

She blinked and blushed. "Um, yeah?" 

Piotr swallowed hard. "Well, um, I was wondering what you were doing tonight. I'm sure you already have Valentine's Day plans, but I wanted to know if you'd like to go out some where to-" 

"Yes," she interrupted. 

"Really?" 

Kitty nodded enthusiastically. "Like, totally!" 

_I guess Rogue won't have to wear Jean's uniform after all!_ she thought with a mental giggle. _Because I'm going on a date with Piotr!_

* ~ *

**Author's Note:** _I know Valentine's day was a few days ago, but deal. This is the only time I could get the chapter up. And Jubilee being a bitch about Pyro liking her was for drama, but I also felt that too many people were accepting the Acolytes. So far only Kitty and Rogue have deep connections with the team, but many (mostly female) X-Men have no problem with the team talking to them. So I wanted Jubilee to be a representative of the other side. Maybe she likes John, but since he's the enemy she won't say yes. Get the idea? Aw, poor Johnny! And, Jubilee and Rahne never left cuz I love them, but Evan can stay in the sewers! I'm sooo sorry that I didn't write the date yet! I have it all planned out in my head, but I've had less than 24 hours of sleep and am only updating this much out of the kindness of my heart. If I updated more, you wouldn't want to see it. I've been sick and tired and sleep-deprived. My writing is lacking and would be worse.  
Also, I have good news for you. Any of you who saw the Dare Devil movie saw the cool new X2 trailer. For those of you who didn't see DD (like me), you can still see it. Go here: , and download the file by following the instructions. It looks mucho kick ass so I can't wait until May! Plus, there's one part involving Rogue and Bobby that really perplexes me... you'll figure that out after you watch. I'm just wondering how it's even possible... hmmm...   
More goody updates coming up. Sick day today, yay! I swear I'm sick every flippin' day. I have upper-respiratory infection or something. Not fun. Anyway, I'm planning on having a plot to this story because I'm getting sick of writing something and not having it go any where. When I first started this fic I was planning on having it go to about 5 chapters and just be Gambit and Rogue getting touchy feely and mushy and yadda yadda. It was just a story about their interactions. Of course, I'm now on chapter nine. I feel the characters have gotten to know each other enough that they should embark upon some personal mission... one involving the guilds in New Orleans. Malick dropped the hints, and Gambit and Rogue will have to go save the day. Plus, I'm really testing the waters out and trying to get into the characters heads more. So please don't hate me if I've totally changed the style or if it sucks. But anyway, not much else is going on. STAY TUNED KIDS!_

_And some shameless self-promotion on my part. I just finished a cool Evo-Mystique site. Go check it out pleeeeze. I'll love you forever! ;_

**And for my awesome reviewers:**

**Panther Nesmith**: Yeah. I hate Scott. He is a mucho ass. Wow, if Scott's car has died as many times as Jean... wouldn't it have like nine lives? Maybe twenty? Your wish was granted- Piotr/Kitty-ness! I will play on the Bobby/Rogue angle more, but in this fic they will only remain friends. Mystique and Pyro? *scratches head* Hmmm... she's a little too old for him (especially in Evo), but I'll see if I can squeeze in our favorite fire-maniac flirting with our (or mine at least) favorite blue-skinned temptress.

**Nychus**: I've been cut from the Marvel loop too. Gambit teamed up with Sinister and caused the whole Morlock massacre in order to get Belladonna back- if I remember correctly. And Rogue absorbed his memories of this, couldn't cope, said ciao, and left him to die in Antarctica! Lovely storyline, huh?

**Neurotic Temptress**: :-) I'm glad my Remy is in character and providing entertainment for all.

**ishandahalf**: An update, an update! I'm not dead- I think. *checks cemetery just in case* Yep, not there. Still here. All is good. The one bathroom is NOT my idea! Have you seen the bathroom fiasco in Evo? They're the evil ones! Risking teenager's bladder and hygiene for comic relief. Hmph. As you can see, the Acolyte's valentine's escapades were only a side-bar. You're not bitter about V-day? I am! I had to baby-sit! Now THAT'S cruel and unusual punishment. Scott garbage face? You make me laugh.

**ristyness**: Yes, I did not write in the bamfing thing for ickness. I did it for humor, so rest at ease. Kitty and Rogue are opposites only on the outside. Inside, I think they're very much alike and dealing with many of the same feelings.

**Lady MR**: Grr... you ruined Mysti! Now she'll have to sit out for a chapter or two to recover from her injuries... unless I get bored... "Stormy" finally meet Gambit later in the date chappy. Yayness! Hope you'll enjoy that little tidbit!

**hannah**: I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far!

**Sujakata**: Yes, you can tell Rogue secretly (or not so secretly) enjoys all of Gambit's attention. Tabby and Pyro were not the couple I was thinking of. As you can see, it's actually Jubilee. And, Kurt is not Rogue's biological sibling, so it's not technically incest... not that I meant for it to be taken in an icky way.

**bunny angel**: Sorry to say, but I'm mean and your little date will have to wait until next chapter. Along with the lovely interruption aka start of a storyline I have planned.

**Trunks-Girl**: I was going to make Gambit tell Piotr to tell Kitty (wow confusing) to keep their date a secret so Gambit could see Rogue in the uniform... but I guess the lingerie is better anyway. :-)

**Skye Haerrington**: Wow, thanks a lot! I'm feeling all teary-eyed from all your compliments! He he you really love things don't you?

**Sakura Scout**: I'm glad you're a fan of mush too. A great suspenseful plot? Hopefully one's coming up, but I don't see anything in the previous chapters. ;-)

**girl4chat86**: Ha ha Kitty and Piotr have gotten together, but the date will have to wait!!!   



	9. Date, Interrupted

Queen of Hearts

Chapter Ten: Date, Interrupted

* ~ *  
  
"Rogue! You have a delivery!"  
  
Rogue's head turned from the television screen and to the hallway where Ororo Munroe stood, holding a bouquet of white lilies. "Y'r sure it's f'r me?" she asked in surprise.  
  
Bobby smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe it's from your secret lover."  
  
"They are addressed to you and sent from a Remy LeBeau, who says he will see you tonight," Storm said, reading the card. "Is that your boyfriend?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Hardly..."  
  
"Yeah, that's why you're, like, going on a date with him tonight," Kitty muttered.  
  
Bobby's eyes flashed. "A date? Why didn't you tell me, Roguey?"  
  
"Mah love life doesn't concern you," she snapped.  
  
He looked down, trying to hide the embarrassment his face so plainly broadcasted. "I guess not." He smiled. "But I thought you didn't have a love life? Just moving from one guy to another, huh, Rogue? First me in the bathroom and now Gambit? You husslin' pimptress!"  
  
Ororo raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. She obviously was curious, but had a feeling she didn't want to know. She decided to stay on the previous conversation. "Who is this Remy boy?"  
  
"A person who lives and breathes," Rogue said sardonically.  
  
The woman rolled her eyes. "Take away the edge in your voice, child, or you might draw blood." A wicked smile crossed her lips despite her comment. "Could it be that you are embarrassed to have a boy you care for?"  
  
Rogue looked away quickly and Kitty giggled. "Ooooh, Storm's got you pegged. Didn't know you were, like, telepathic too."  
  
"I am not, but I am no fool," she replied. Storm handed Rogue the flowers. "I should be so jealous. They are beautiful."  
  
"Mmmhmmm..." Rogue murmured as she inhaled the lilies. They _were _absolutely gorgeous, and smelt great. Surprisingly enough, they were her favorite flowers. _No one knows that but Kitty_... she thought. _Ah wonder how he found out._  
  
"So where are you two love birds going tonight?" Ororo asked. The silver-haired woman took a seat next to Rogue. Kitty and Bobby had suddenly found interest in watching the end of_ Buying the Cow_.  
  
"Ah don't know yet," she replied honestly. "It's supposed t' be a surprise."  
  
"I trust this date is appropriate and that you will be home by curfew this time," she said with a little chuckle.

"How'd you-?"

Rogue was cut off as Storm continued. "And that he is well-mannered and treats you with the respect you deserve? You know I will not give you permission if those standards are not met. I want what is best for my students."

_One: Who the hell said ah needed y'r permission?_ _An' two: Who the hell died and made you mah mom? Last time ah checked, Mystique was still alive._ Rogue would have loved to tell the "Wind Rider" everything that ran through her head, but she decided to keep her tongue in check that time.

Bobby, however, didn't know when to shut up. "Not even close, and definitely no cigar. Remy is nothing like that! He's rude, a total player, talks with an ugly accent-!"

A pillow hit the "Iceman" squarely in the chest. He toppled off the couch and clutched his torso in theatrical pain. "That kinda hurt!"

"Ah happen t' _like _his accent," Rogue snapped. "An since when did ya have anythin' against accents? Just because we all can't be Yankees like you-!"

Storm decided to intervene as subtly as she could manage. "Well, I shall go and put these in a vase for you, Rogue."

"Thanks Storm," she said and watched the weather witch walk into the kitchen.

She poked her head out of the door again. "Oh, and Rogue?"

"Yeah?"

"I was up in your room earlier. It seems that you have another present waiting for you."

Kitty grinned and grabbed her friend's gloved hand. "Come on, Rogue. I'll help you try it on. And plus, I, like, totally have to tell you what happened in art class."

Rogue felt herself being helplessly tugged up the stairs by an extremely talkative mutant who put Pietro's speech patterns to shame. "But what- how do you know about the-?!"

"So, like, anyway, Piotr sat by me in art class and we were all talking and stuff about art- which I know nothing about-and he's so totally dreamy! So anyway, we're all, like, flirting and he goes and asks me if I wanted to go somewhere tonight. Can you believe it?"

_Oh Gawd, _Rogue thought. _Not Valley Kitty again. _The girl could be quite intellectual and understood more mathematical equations in a day than Rogue could in a year- not to mention Kitty's uncanny talent with anything computers. Rogue knew a Kitty could talk normally and could run circles around her brain matter. She just wished Kitty would morph into the brain child really soon. She couldn't handle anymore ditzyness.

"Hey, like, are you listening Rogue?"

"Uh, Kitty... who's Piotr?"

"Colossus!" she replied huffily. "Do you, like, not know anything? Jeesh!"

"Well soooorry f'r not conversin' with y'r man!"

"Anyway... so now I guess you don't have to wear Jean's uniform! Oooh, which reminds me! I have, like, nothing to wear! Oh man! I gotta, like, find something that's gonna impress him!"

Bobby watched the two girls run upstairs. _Damn,_ he thought. _Those Acolytes are taking all our women!_

* ~ *

Remy LeBeau lifted the red, silk boxers out of the box with a smirk. She had picked the present out perfectly- right down to his favorite cologne. She'd done sleuthing that could rival his own. Then, again, he never pictured her to be the type of girl to buy him some of the naughty gag gifts in the box. "Never t'ought you'd have it in you, chere."

Pyro rolled his eyes. "Don't see why you two got each other shit like that. It's not like any of ya are gonna use 'em around eachother. She can't touch, mate."

"Dough it would be a lot more fun if she could, it don' really matter t' me. She tries t' play hard t' get an we both know how Gambit, he love a challenge. 'Sides, homme, I don' t'ink we'd be doin' that kinda stuff wit' it _on, _non?"

A slight smile twitched at his lips. "You're relentless, you know that, right?"

"Dat's de best insult ya could come up wit? Dis guy wants me t' listen t' him?" he mocked.

"Want my advice, mate? Stop now before either one of ya get hurt. She's just a kid, ya know?"

"T'ink she's old enough t' take care o' herself, non? 'Sides, too late t' turn back now. I t'ink if I break her heart, she gon' break one of my legs!"

John chuckled. "I'll take your word for it. That shiela sure isn't the friendliest, if ya ask me. But if gothic babes are ya cuppa tea, go for it."

Piotr walked by, checking his reflection in the mirror. He turned to the two boys. "How do I look?"

Remy smiled. "Hot date, eh homme?"

John gave him a thumbs-up sign. "Ya know, if I was a chick, I'd date ya right now."

He shuddered. "Please don't ever say that again. It was..."

"Disturbin'?" Gambit finished for him.

The Russian nodded. Something still seemed to bother him. John seemed to know what it was too. He walked up to Colossus and sniffed him. Of course, Piotr backed away considerably. "What the hell?"

He frowned. "Why ya smell like a sheila, mate?"

Piotr turned three shades of red. "Uh- I was taking a shower and we were out of soap. So I had to use that body-wash that Wanda left from the last time she visited us."

"What 'bout cologne? Dat woulda covered de smell up."

"Quicksilver used the last of mine the other night."

Gambit rolled his eyes. "I really hate dat salop bastard," he muttered. "Don' worry 'bout it, Petey. Gotcha covered right here." He threw the bottle of cologne Rogue had purchased for him. Colossus caught it with ease.

He sprayed him self and then tossed it back. "Thanks, Remy." He checked his reflection once more, adjusted his tie, and then turned to his roommates again. "Well, it's almost six. I'd better go pick up Kitty. When are you and Rogue leaving?"

"Don' know. Told her 'bout seven."

"Don't worry 'bout it, mate. She'll be apples."

Colossus gave the boy a quizzical glance. "Is that supposed to be some sort of a comfort?"

"Sorta. Better light a fire under y'r arse. Ya know how woman get when the men are late."

Watching Piotr's bulky figure retreat, Remy turned to John with a grin. "Reckon I should say somet'ing 'bout Lance bein' at dat resteraunt wit his date t'night?"

"Nah," John said mock-evilly. "Why ruin the fun?"

* ~ *

Rogue silently padded down the hallway in the institute, happy that for the most part, the place was void of an activity and especially the usual craziness. She even had a relaxing bath- without distractions. The southern belle slipped into her room and out of her bath robe, sighing contently.

She dried off and glanced at the strapless dress lying on her bed. She couldn't believe how beautiful it was- nor that Remy bought it for their date- not to mention that he had even purchased a strapless bra to compliment the gown that fit as perfectly as the dress. He had even bought her elbow-high black gloves to match. The dress was so fitting for her... the color was gorgeous- a dark green at bust and a sheer black skirt that covered the rest of the dress. Rogue had tried it on earlier and couldn't help but twirl in front of the mirror. She felt like Scarlet O'Hara in the dress. She had to give the boy props- he certainly had taste.

The dress was breath-taking and Kitty had commented on how it even looked better when Rogue put it on. Rogue had to admit that she also was in love with it, not to mention the fact that it gave Kitty an excuse not to dress her up for the date. Although, Shadowcat did offer to do her make-up.

_Thank Gawd Piotr picked her up when he did..._

Rogue pulled on her underwear and the bra, still wondering how Gambit could've known her size. _Guess he just stares at me long enough t' know._ she thought with a little smile. She reached for the dress, but a low whistle stopped her dead in her tracks.

"De t'ings you be keepin' from me, chere."

She froze and turned around with wide eyes. Then, she opened her mouth and let out a surprised scream.

Gambit (come on guys, you know it was him) covered her mouth and grinned. "Shhh... p'tite. Unless ya wanna sell tickets."

"What are you doin' in mah room?" Rogue asked, surprised. "Ah wasn't even decent! Ya coulda used the front door just like any other normal person!"

"Ain't no normal person, an you know dat," he responded with a smirk. " 'Sides, us t'ieves don' use doors."

"Well you should start!" she said, suddenly feeling self-conscious of her practically naked body that Gambit seemed so keen to leer at. She tried to cover herself up, but ended up cowering behind the bed. "An you should get out o' here b'fore-"

The door swung open without warning. "Stripes!" Wolverine bellowed. "What's wrong? I heard ya scream."

"Wolverine!" Rogue screamed. "Ah'm gettin' dressed!"

Wolverine blushed and looked away. "Jesus, kid! Sorry I-" He did a double take, now noting that Gambit was in her room while Rogue was standing around in nothing but her underwear.

** *SNICKT***

He growled. "What did I tell ya, bub?"

Remy gulped as Wolverine charged toward him with his claws. Rogue screamed again, wanting to interfere, but jumping back because she didn't want to absorb them.

"Rogue, what is going on h-?" Storm started, rushing to the room. She stopped, mid-sentence, however, when she saw the spectacle of Wolverine and Remy fighting while Rogue stood helpless in nothing but her undergarments.

Mr. McCoy was not far behind. "Oh my stars and garters..."

Gambit reached for a lamp and sent it crashing down on Wolverine's head. It did nothing and the older man tackled him. Remy pulled out a handful of cards just as Wolverine's claws began to hover dangerously close to his throat.

"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" Storm commanded.

By now the whole institute had gathered around to see what was happening.

Logan reluctantly got up, but not before kicking Remy in the shin. The Cajun responded by slipping a charged card in his pocket. Needless to say, Wolverine found himself on the other side of the room very quickly.

"What is the meaning of this?" Storm asked, hands on her hips.

Wolverine managed to get up from the floor. He pointed a finger and very maturely pointed out, "He started it!"

Rogue rolled her eyes and then saw an audience gathered around her room. She quickly pulled on her robe. "Remy just came by a little early t' pick me up, that's all. An then Mr. Logan has t' go off in some psychotic rage episode- not t' mention bargin' in here without even knockin'!"

"I heard a scream!" he protested. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Mind y'r own business! Ah'm a big girl!"

Xavier spoke up. "I will not argue with that point, but the fact is that it's not appropriate to have a boy announced in your room- especially when you're only dressed in your undergarments."

"How can it be inappropriate? It ain't like we could do anythin'!" Rogue snapped. She received a look from the Professor and she lowered her head slightly.

Ororo looked sternly at Remy, who winced slightly. "Mr. LeBeau, is it not? I think it would be wise for you to leave now."

"We'll talk about your punishment later," Professor said sharply while looking at Rogue. He turned to all the students. "And I suggest that the rest of you go back to your rooms."

"See, I told you that guy was a creep," Scott whispered to Jean.

Jean shrugged. "I don't think it's what it looks like."

Kurt shook his head. "I knew I didn't like zat guy."

Bobby patted his back. "I don't think anyone did."

Gambit sighed as Beast escorted him out of the room. "Sorry, chere."

Rogue collapsed on her bed, trying her best to ignore the adults as the began to reprimand her for the situation. _Great... there goes the date ah've been looking forward to all night... Good goin' Remy._

* ~ *

**Authors Note: **_It's aliiiive. Woot! Ha ha I fooled you all! Actually, I also fooled myself. I led myself into thinking that I was going to do a sequel instead of making this into another story, but I figured, hey, why not just continue it? So I'm going to. Still wary about the guild plot coming up... may change depending on my mood. The last part? You have no friggin' clue how long I've been waiting to write that part in (the sneaking in the window while Rogue is in her underwear and Logan walks in and stuff part)!!! I really don't know where it came from, but it just came to me. Humorous and dramatic as it was, the adults will get to share their opinions of the relationship in the next chapter. He he. So unsuspecting of him! But don't worry, they're still going on their date! Whether the adults like it or not... with a little help from one of them! So there! I'm also very evil and the next chapter will not be the date- it will be the chapter after that. PEAS AND CARROTS IF YOU REVIEW!!!_

**No readers response here, but to all my kick-ass reviews:   
**_I want to take a lot of space up to thank ALL my reviewers. Seriously, without all your praise I would've abandoned this fic long ago. You guys seriously have no idea how much your comments mean to me. Do I feel tears springing to my eyes? *tear* I think I do! Oh Goddess, I always have to ruin a partially sentimental moment. Well anyway, thanks for encouraging and helping me improve my writing. Hopefully you will review the new chapters just as much! I'm too lazy to do each individual response today, so yeah. Thanks! And don't get impatient or I will sick Mystique on you all!_


	10. Illustrations?

_**I'M STILL ALIVE! REALLY!!!**_

_Hey, it's me, Free. Sorry that it's taking so damn long to update. CHAPTER 11 is almost done, w00t! But, for now, you'll have to wait... again. ^_^ The reason why I wasted a precious chapter space is because I need your help. I'm doing some illustrations (aka sketches) for this story, and I'm not exactly sure what to doodle yet. If you guys could either e-mail me or review with what you'd like to see, I'd appreciate it. Oh, and do try to get the replies in by Sunday. That's when I scan them. When I get the pics done and scanned, I'll post the new chapters with the link of where to get the artwork. So if you want to see some sketches, please add your input!!!_

_PS If you want to do some fan work for the story, I'd dig that, too._

**_Toodles for now,_**

_*~*Freeverse*~*_


	11. Escape

Queen of Hearts

Chapter Eleven: Escape

* ~ *

The Professor turned to the bed she was sitting on. "Now Rogue..."

She groaned, looking down at her robe. "Can't Ah at least get dressed first?"

"That seems fair enough," Xavier agreed. "Please come down to the study when you are done and ready to talk about what happened and the consequences of your actions."

"_His_ actions," she snapped bitterly. "Ah don't remember givin' him an invitation t' just come up without a warnin'."

"Very well," he replied. "We shall await your arrival."

Storm and Wolverine nodded and followed the professor out of the room. Rogue didn't miss the accusing glare she received from Logan and the wordless declaration of disappointment Ororo projected with an arched brow. Storm closed the door behind her and Rogue collapsed on her bed with a loud thud. 

"Just mah luck," she said with a heavy sigh. She smiled, though, despite her anger at the present situation and, more importantly, Gambit. "Stupid Cajun..."

* ~ *

"Table for two, Rasputin," Piotr, or Peter as Kitty had found the American variation of his Russian name easier to pronounce, supplied the host.

The balding man checked his list and smiled. "Ah, yes, Mr-" The man frowned, obviously trying to remember how Peter pronounced his surname. Sighing, he continued on, butchering it. "Rassputtin... right this way."

Kitty smiled to Peter as the man shuffled two menus together in his hands and led them to a table by the fireplace. "This is sure romantic," she admitted with a blush as the two took their seats. "I have no idea how you got reservations here and, like, on such short notice, too..."

He flashed her a goofy grin in return. "It was no trouble, Katherine. I'm glad you like this place. Remy suggested it to me."

She rolled her eyes. _He could've at least humored me into thinking that he was this romantic- naturally, _she thought annoyed. She looked over at her date and smiled warmly. "Well, I'm glad you asked me," she said flirtatiously, causing Peter to blush slightly. _Peter Pure Heart_, she thought with an inward laugh.

"Yeah, well, I'm just glad you accepted," he replied shyly. An awkward pause hung between the two, and Peter cleared his throat. "Um, we should decide our orders, shouldn't we?"

Kitty nodded, suddenly aware of his awkwardness. _Aww... he's nervous, she thought as a smile slowly crept on her lips. _He's so different than Lance... so sweet and insightful. _She absentmindedly reached for a menu, but she caught Peter's hand instead, who grabbed for the menu at the same time. He jerked it back a little, and immediately grabbed a menu to hide under._

"You don't have to be, like, so nervous," she said.

He looked up from his menu, startled. "I'm not nervous..."

"Oh please," she said stubbornly. Kitty locked eyes with him, but he looked away. Her hazel eyes searched for him again. She giggled and he averted his gaze, embarrassed. "I think it's sweet."

Peter smiled. "I think you're sweet."

She giggled again. "Aww... is Petey coming out of his shell?" Kitty teased.

He rolled his eyes, but smiled in spite of her mocking. He looked back at his menu. He had no clue what most of the food was- it was all in Italian. Kitty, likewise, was absolutely clueless.

"Where's the normal stuff, like Spaghetti or Fettuccini Alfredo?" she scratched her head, and Peter had to stifle a laugh at the action. "I guess this isn't the Olive Garden."

"That it is not," he agreed with a grin.

The waiter came to take their orders, and Peter opened his mouth to ask for the special. Something, however, interrupted him. Kitty paled considerably at the ordeal.

"Lance, this is soooo romantic," a busty blonde gushed, practically dragging a brown and shaggy haired boy to the table across from Kitty and Piotr. "You're so getting something in return for this," she told him seductively.

"I hope so, Michelle, after a-" he replied with a grin, but he stopped talking when he turned to face the neighboring table. Lance's smile faded. "Kitty."

She blinked. "Lance."

* ~ *

Xavier folded his hands across his lap. "Since you are here, I feel I must get straight to the point. I cannot ignore another mess caused by this boy you seem so fond of. We have ignored this problem for far too long. I should have stepped in from day one and stated my opinion about this relationship of yours."  
  
"Which is?" Rogue asked sourly.  
  
He paused, thinking of the best way to put it without upsetting her. "I do not think it is healthy to befriend a member of the team which we oppose. It did not work out for Kitty and I do not think it will work for you. Logan has already received a bad impression of your Cajun friend, and tonight's fiasco did not help to counter that notion. Gambit is part of Magneto's team, and his presence here is a threat to our security."  
  
Rogue narrowed her eyes. "'It didn't work f'r Kitty? That's a lie an you know it! Lance an her were just fine! An now she's datin' Colossus, who happens t' be on the same Gambit's on, an you haven't lifted one Gawd damned finger in protest!"  
  
"Rogue!" Ororo gasped, shocked at the girl's outburst.  
  
"Why is it so different with Gambit an me?" she demanded. 

Logan growled. "I'll tell ya why ya can't see him," he snapped. "I can smell his type a mile away. He's nothing but trouble an he ain't gonna put you in any more of the situations he's put ya in if I have anything t' say about it."  
  
Storm put a hand on Rogue's shoulder. The girl only shrugged it away. "Look, child, we understand that you like this boy, and we are not punishing you for that fact. It is just that... well... why did you not tell us that you were seeing him?"  
  
"Who the hell gave ya any right t' carry around like mah mother?" 

Ororo blinked in surprise, obviously hurt. She sighed. Rogue opened her mouth to apologize for the rude comment, but she cut her off. "Whether you like it or not, we are the only family you have," Storm replied coldly. "And now we are only concerned about your well fare."

She made a face. "We _were just friends!"  
  
"And now you've grown to be something more," Xavier concluded. "Which is not a good thing."  
  
"Why?" she asked stubbornly. "'Cause ah like him? Or 'cause he may be a danger t' the team? None of it makes any sense! Why didn't ya say somethin' before if ya thought it was a bad idea?"  
  
Hank cleared his throat. "We theorized, based on your former disagreeable manner, that the topic of question would be boast the greatest product if we did not involve ourselves in it. Though as of late, we decided to mediate in order to cease your misbehavior."  
  
Ororo nodded, having some how understood every word of gibberish Beast just spoke. "Yes, a week or so ago, you were gone all night and came back at six in the morning. It was also quite obvious to most of the students that you had been drinking. Gambit led you to completely ignore the institute rules, not to mention U.S. laws, and although Logan may have believed you the rest of us knew the truth."  
  
"You mean you all knew Stripes was seeing this creep and ya didn't tell me?" Wolverine shouted.  
  
"My esteemed colleagues and I didn't wish to cause you dismay," Hank replied.  
  
He growled and manifested his adamantium claws. "What?!"  
  
The beast gulped. "Well... you do have the tendency to get angry," he said carefully._

Rogue glared at him. "Don't get get all protective on me, Mr. Logan. It's mah life, an Ah don't remember adoptin' you as mah body guard, or worse- mah father."

Wolverine sheathed his weapons and gave her a stern look. "Look, kid, here's the deal: You stay under this roof, ya gotta abide by the rules. Plain and simple."

Xavier cupped his hands into a steeple, thinking. "I'm afraid Logan is right, Rogue. We have certain rules here, and if you break them, you must suffer the consequences. Most of the adults believed it best to leave your late arrival alone, but I cannot turn my head to another misbehavior. Unannounced visitors, especially ones of the opposite sex, are not allowed in the institute, and above all not in your quarters."

"But it wasn't mah fault-" Rogue protested.

Ororo locked eyes with the gothic beauty. "If you story is correct, no it was not, but the fact remains. He broke the rules and you let him, so you must suffer the consequences, and that is final." She paused. "We all talked about it, and agreed that you are sentenced to one month of kitchen detail and Logan sessions. You will also not be allowed to leave for your date tonight."

Rogue's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "WHAT?!" she screamed. "THAT'S CRAZY!"

Hank jumped back a bit. "I do not believe our sanity is the one on trial at the present moment." 

"Ah don' even do anythin', an ya base mah punishment on somethin' that happened a long time ago?" she accused. "Sorry, but that just doesn't sound fair t' me."

Xavier sighed. "It is your current lack of judgment and rebellious behavior that caused this mess, not just the predicament in the past. I am sorry you are upset at your punishment, but you must learn your lesson."

Rogue opened her mouth to argue further on her behalf, about how she was _more_ than upset, but her mind had just given birth to the most wonderful idea.

"Yeah, great lesson, _Xavier," she said dryly. "If ya'll are through ruinin' mah life, Ah'm goin' back t' mah room."_

The Professor ignored her obvious disrespect. "Very well, you are dismissed."

"And don't forget, 7:00 o'clock tomorrow, Danger Room," Logan called as Rogue padded down the hallway.

She frowned. _Ah don't care what they say_, she thought. _Ah'm goin' out with Gambit whether they like it or not. Ah just hope Remy'll still be up f'r the date._

* ~ *

"Lance, what are you doing here?" she asked. Her hazel eyes blazed with a mix of anger and hurt. She was still trying to get over their breakup, and it didn't help that he just had to come to that restaurant and flaunt some blonde (the color was obviously fake, as were some other things) floozy in her face. 

"Last time I checked, it's a free country," he snapped defensively. He looked at a bewildered Piotr. "And I see you haven't wasted time in realizing that."

Michelle draped her arms across Lance's shoulders, smiling smugly. "Who's that, babe?"

Kitty glared at the snobbish sneer the girl gave her. She found it down right punchable. However, she decided to ignore her. "Well can't you, like, get a different table or something?" She looked down at Peter who was trying to explain to the waiter that they weren't ready to order. Her gaze darted back to Lance. "Me and my date are, like, trying to eat. We don't want to deal with the disgusting prospect of you and that cheap _date_, like, all over each other all night!"

Lance rolled his eyes. "Too bad. We can sit wherever we want, _Pryde. If you don't like it, why don't you and Tin Man over there move?"_

"Because, _Alvers,_" she huffed, growing even more upset by the second, "we were here first!"

Peter started to rise from his seat. He put a comforting hand on Kitty's shoulder. "Kitty, it's okay. If you would like, we could just go somewhere else," he said quietly.

"Like, no way!" she exclaimed, shrugging him off. "We don't have to do anything for this jerk!"

By now, every person in the restaurant was staring at the four teenagers. Michelle sat down, wide-eyed at the spectacle, and Piotr, likewise, watched in fear. Kitty and Lance, not phased, continued their bickering.

"What's the deal with you?" Lance asked.

"The deal," she retorted while folding her arms across her chest, "is you, like, coming around here expecting nothing to change between us! We're over! Don't act like everything's roses, because it's totally not! I don't ever want to see you again, Lance! Not here, not ever, and, like, especially not here with some one else! I'm trying to move on, and you're, like, totally being an inconsiderate jerk!"

"I'm not the one who started this!" he yelled back.

"Well some one needs to finish this. Because _we're finished!"_

"Kitty, damn it! Why are you being such a bitch?"

"Because of you! I thought I loved you, but you were, like, a complete asshole to me and everyone else! You were a hood, and I only realized that a couple months ago! And now I see your face around here and it's, like, hard! And you're definitely not making it any easier!"

"Well, maybe I'm doing this because... because I still love you," he admitted. 

She blinked, stunned. Michelle and Peter watched in fear. Lance paused, and suddenly got down on one knee. He grabbed her hand and held it in his. "Will you marry me, Kitty Pryde?"

The restaurant was completely silent, and the patrons were in shock. Kitty jerked her hand away. Her cheeks were a flaming red. She was furious at Lance for pulling such a stupid stunt. "What is wrong with you?" she asked. "You don't love me, and I don't love you. Not anymore."

He froze, still crouched to the ground. "Kitty-"

She wheeled around, and took Peter's hand. "Come on, Peter, let's, like, go get some burgers or something," she said quietly. He nodded and followed her out of the building. Everyone watched the couple leave and whispered amongst themselves.

Lance rose from his position and walked over to where Michelle was sitting. "Hey, baby, it was all just a joke," he said smoothly. She raised an eyebrow, obviously not buying it. "Seriously, she was just some ex I wanted to piss off. You're still the only that matters."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah," he replied, smiling.

Without warning, Michelle's right fist collided with his jaw, causing his head to snap back from the force. "Jerk!" she yelled. She turned to leave.

"Uh, can I take your orders?" the waiter asked nervously.

"Come on, cutie," Michelle said with a wink as grabbed him by the arm. "No point in letting my Valentine's day go to waste."

"Hey, Miss, um-" he protested, but was promptly dragged out of the door anyway.

Lance rubbed his jaw sourly. "Damn, no one can take a joke."

* ~ *

Ororo Munroe always enjoyed the night sky in winter. The stars had an icy and surreal sparkle to them that seemed to hypnotize the woman. Her cool breath snaked around the February air as she admired the many galaxies splashed across the sapphire palette. She leaned against a tall oak tree and sighed, enjoying the scenery around her.

In spite of the distraction, Storm couldn't help but think about Rogue's recent behavior. _It is so unlike her,_ she though worriedly. _She is too frightened to let people in. Then suddenly this boy gets into her life, and she makes all the wrong decisions. _A star sparkled as though responding to her silent musings, and she smiled. _Love? _The weather witch almost laughed at the idea. Rogue would never, ever allow herself to fall in love with anyone. Her power just wouldn't permit it, so the young mutant gave up hope. _Unless... this boy brought hope into that closed heart of hers._

"Beautiful night, ain't it, chere?"

The voice brought Storm back to earth, and she turned to the speaker with an icy gaze. "Trespassing twice in row," she said. "I thought you would have learned your lesson by now."

Remy threw his hands up in the air, as though a guilty bank robber. "Didn't mean t' break de rules 'round here. Just needed t' talk t' someone."

"Why me?"

He smiled. "You know Roguey. You be one o' de adult figures at de mansion. Figured ya'd at least hear me out, non?"

She crossed her arms and gave him a look. "Give me one good reason why I should not escort you off the premises this very instant," she challenged.

"'Cause, J'aime elleI love her," he replied simply. "Want t' spend time wit her. An definitely not have her get int' trouble cause o' my mistakes."

"What are you saying?" Ororo questioned with a penetrating glare. "That I should just forget the fact that she has broken the rules? Ignore that you are causing her to make bad decisions? And forgive me, Mr. LeBeau, but I find it hard to believe that you care for a girl such as Rogue."

"Ouch," Remy whistled with a chuckle. "You don' waste yo' breath, do ya, Stormy?"

"Storm," she corrected without missing a beat. "Miss Munroe will also suffice."

He smiled. "Look, Mam'selle Munroe, we both know it ain't Rogue's fault fo' what Gambit did, an de punishment, wit all due respect, it ain't exactly fair. An fo' de carin' t'ing, how do you know dat Gambit don' love her? You got de same stupid negative attitude towards me an Roguey bein' t'gether as everyone else?"

She gave him a cross look. "Do not presume anything about me, young man. My 'negative attitude' is not without cause. I do care for Rogue. She is one of my beloved students, and I do wish for her to be happy. You, however, have shown me nothing but the negative side of your accompanying her. The bad decisions she made, thanks to your guidance, is the reason for her punishment. She brought it upon herself. And I know, Mr. LeBeau, that you do not love her, because men such as yourself would never be tempted by a woman you could never be _intimate with."_

He blinked, surprised at her severe and harsh words. He let them sink in before he replied, slowly saying, "I don' know why you get de impression dat bein' '_intimate' _wit a woman is de only t'ing dat I care about in a relationship. Rogue est une femme spéciale. Rogue is a special woman. She deserves better dan what you t'ink Gambit be givin' her. You t'ink the only t'ing I have t' give her is my hormones. Truth is, de only t'ing Remy can give her is mon coeur my heart." Pausing to look Ororo straight in the eye, he continued. "Dat is, if she'll have it."

"You are only saying that because you know it will make me think better of you," she said softly. "And that I will forget about Rogue's punishment."

"Non," Gambit replied with a small smile. "I only sayin' it 'cause it be de truth."

Ororo looked away from the Cajun. She was, quite simply, stunned. Remy's words were beautiful, and she felt that they had been completely sincere. A sudden wave of self-disgust washed over the woman. _How could I be so horrible? she asked herself. _Here this boy is pouring his heart out to me, and I am just as stubborn as Logan... Why can I not see that they like each other? Should I just...__

A loud thud and rustling was heard, and both Storm and Remy jerked their heads towards the bush underneath Rogue's balcony window. The Southern beauty managed a fake smile, rose from the hedges, and dusted the dirt off of her ball-gown dress. "Ummm... sorry guys. Ah was just... so swept away bah the beautiful night..." she trailed off. Red cheeks branded her guilty like an orange jumper would brand a prisoner.

Remy sighed with relief, and rushed to her side. "You okay, chere? Je suis très désolé. I'm very sorry Didn' mean t' get ya in trouble." He grinned mock-evilly. "Mais but, Gambit, he gotta admit dat you look absolutely stunnin' in black lace."

Rogue rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully. "Pervert!"

Storm watched the exchange with an amused expression and cleared her throat. "I did not see you."

Green eyes widened in surprise. "Storm, but why-?"

"If you do get caught, I had nothing to do with it," she continued as though she hadn't heard Rogue. "You will be on your own. Understood?"

"Yes," she said in a tone Ororo hadn't heard her use in a long time. Her tone was happy- animated. "Thank you, Storm. Ah definitely owe ya one."

Remy nodded a silent thanks as he wrapped an arm around Rogue.

Storm smirked and turned to leave. "Oh, Logan Sessions tomorrow. Not to mention kitchen detail."

Rogue watched her retreat into the mansion. She groaned. "Damn. That was cool an all, but Ah really had hoped that she'd let me off the hook completely."

"Don' worry, p'tite," Gambit said with a sly smile. "I might stop by an help ya wit de kitchen."

"An get me in more trouble?" she asked. She pulled away from him. "What are ya tryin' t' do, Swamp Rat, get me disowned?"

He pouted. "Den you could move in wit me."

She rolled her eyes. "Y'r hopeless."

* ~ *

**I've got one thing to say:** Thanks to everyone who have an ounce of patience. I haven't got the pictures on my website yet, but I do have a couple cute sketches done and I'll put a link to them on the next chapter. _And to everyone who kept bitching..._ I'm sorry but I actually have a life this year and can't dedicate my entire life to writing fan fiction. While I am quite flattered that you enjoy my story that much, I must say that I have absolutely no time to update as regularly as I did when I first started this. I'm balancing school, work, newspaper, and drama all in one. The few spare minutes I do have to myself I certainly don't want to waste sitting in front of a computer for five hours trying to come up with coherent sentences for this fan fiction. I will make an honest effort to update this story, and I do have some more stories that I'd like to write, but at the moment all I can say is that you might not be seeing them for a while.


	12. Call to Action

Queen of Hearts

Chapter Twelve: Call to Action

Xxx

"I haven't any idea what to order," Peter admitted sheepishly. He stared at the neon menu board with wide eyes. "I'm still not familiar with American food."

Kitty flashed him a grin. "Don't worry! I'll order for you! This place is soooo cool. They bring everything out to your car just like in the 50s!"

_While she may think it "cool", sitting in this tin can with wheels is not very romantic,_ Colossus thought with a frown. He smiled in return despite his feelings and replied, "Very well. I trust your judgment."

She pressed the red button. A voice practically yelled in response, "Welcome to Sonic, how may I help you?!"

Colossus jumped back in fear, but Kitty wasn't fazed by the loud noise. She responded in an equally thunderous voice, "Hi! I would like two bacon cheeseburgers, one with extra mayonnaise, two large onion rings, two large French fries, um, ooh, an order of mozzarella sticks with marina sauce please, oooh oooh we need two chilli cheese coneys too, and, umm… two large Cherry Limeades with extra cherries, and umm… well, that's all for now, but I bet we'll want dessert later!"

While the intercom blared their total, Colossus started to object- "Katherine, that's a lot of food-"

"Well, I want you to try everything. You don't have to eat it all, but, like, once you start eating, I guarantee you won't stop!"

He leaned back in the driver's seat and sighed. "I'm sorry I'm taking you here…"

Kitty squeezed his hand. "Don't worry. It was Lance and me who caused that whole scene at the restaurant, and don't forget that burgers were MY idea." She flashed him a sly grin. "Besides, we couldn't even read that menu anyway."

xxx

"Where are we goin'?" Rogue asked, feeling blindly around her. Her eyes were covered with a black scarf. Gambit asked her to put in on when they escaped the X Mansion, much to her displeasure. "Gawd, Ah can't see a thing!"

Gambit smirked as he maneuvered the girl down the path. "Dat's kind of de point, chere," he replied with a chuckle. "Else dis wouldn't be much of a surprise."

Rogue's fists tightened. She threw back her shoulders in anger. "Yeah, well, Ah've had enough surprises f'r tonight! Thanks t' you Ah have a MONTH of Logan sessions an KITCHEN DETAIL! Do you have any idea how much Ah hate cleaning? Scratch that – do you have any idea how messy everyone in the mansion is? It's like cleanin' up after a den of lions!"

In a split second, she felt Gambit's fingers graze the back of her head. The scarf fell away. "Wh-wha…?" Rogue's voice soon trailed off. A moonlit gazebo situated by the water appeared when her eyes finally adjusted. "Ah don't… Ah don't understand…"

"Gambit decided dat we should have ourselves a picnic," he replied nonchalantly.

She slowly crossed over to the table, scanning the lilies, champagne flutes, and two china bowls. A picnic basket sat on the very end. When she lifted up the lid curiously, the heady scent of jambalaya escaped from a silver thermos.

Warm arms circled her waist. "Whatcha t'ink?"

Rogue tilted her head to meet his eyes. With a small smile she lifted her gloved hand to his mouth.

"Mmph!" he protested.

"Hush yoh mouth, Cajun," she whispered before kissing the barrier between their lips. "Ah'm afraid that's the best Ah can do."

His demon eyes crinkled in delight. He captured her tiny face in his gloved hands and kissed the top of her head softly. "Dat's moh dan enough foh me right now, cherie."

Leaning into his muscular frame, Rogue laid her head of his shoulder, sighing. Her hair shone brightly in the moonlight. The soft, porcelain skin on her face glowed with a slight hint of pink. She was wearing her unflatteringly dark lipstick, but her eyes were not competing for attention with gaudy violet eye shadow. She hadn't worn her trademark face paint for quite sometime. Without the darkness, her emerald gems held a brilliant purity that Remy found intoxicating.

"Why don'tcha take a picture?" the Southern belle teased. "It'll last longer."

"If Remy takes any picture o' you, chere, yoh gonna have t' take off dat dress," he whispered huskily. Rogue rolled her eyes, a reaction that did not surprise the Cajun in the least. "Please, have a seat."

She sunk into a wicker chair with little ceremony. Gambit, however, was feeling more playful. He uncorked the champagne, causing Rogue to jump at the loud POP! He filled the glasses like a waiter might in some fancy restaurant, then began serving the meal. "I picked dis 'specially for you, so Remy hopes you enjoy it."

"You know," Rogue said thoughtfully, "yer quite charmin' when ya wanna be. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Mebbe, but Gambit don' remember."

As Remy slipped into the chair opposite, Rogue lifted up her spoon and dipped it into the soup. It smelled delicious, and she took an experimental taste. "Did ya make this jambalaya y'rself?"

"_Oui_," Gambit said, draping a napkin across his lap- ever the gentleman. "It's an old New Orleans recipe._ Ma tante_ taught it to me when I was just a pup."

"It's _really_ good," she replied, surprised. "Ah never knew you were such a good cook."

"Gambit's a good t'ief, a good cook, and an even better _boyfriend_."

Rogue's heart nearly skipped a beat at his words, but she could not allow herself to believe them. "Ah'm sure ya are," she said softly, "but Ah'm afraid bein' _mah boyfriend_ is out of the question."

Remy did not think she was being very funny. His brows furrowed in anger and annoyance. "What you sayin'?" he asked. "After all we been t'rough – after all de work Gambit put into dis dinner! What did you t'ink dis all meant? Dat we'd shake hands an' part ways as friends? Roguey, I don' wanna be just friends. Don't you feel de same?"

"Ah don't know." Rogue bit her lip. "It's just… Remy, you know you can't touch me!" There, she said it. Finally. So why didn't she feel any better?

Suddenly, Gambit reached over the table and seized her wrist. "Don't ya say dat."

She jerked away. "Why not?" she challenged. "It's true, ain't it? No matter how Ah feel about you… no matter how we feel 'bout each other… nothin' can come of it."

"Not'in'?" Remy couldn't hide his hurt. "You t'ink you got not'in' wit' Gambit?"

"That's not what Ah mean! You have no idea what it's like. Ah'm sure you've had tons of girlfriends. Ah'm sure you kissed them, held their hand – hell, even tapped their bare shoulder. Ah can't have that, Remy. Ever. An part of me… part of me thinks that it's better if we don't try. You know we can't do normal boyfriend and girlfriend stuff. How long can it last? Ah mean, _really_ last?"

"Dat's just a cop out!" Remy shot back. "You afraid of gettin' hurt. But dat's just de way t'ings go, chere. Dese t'ings take risks. Mebbe it'll work out. Mebbe it won't. But ya can't distance yohself from everybody. Like it or not, dere are people who care foh you. So, tell me, is it worth it? To not let yohself love foh fear of gettin' hurt?"

"It's not me Ah'm scared of hurtin'," she said meaningfully.

Gambit shook his head. "Non, chere, dat fear belongs to you. Remy a big boy. He can make his own decisions. 'Sides, 'm not somebody dat afraid o' dyin'. I smoke cigarettes. I drink. I gamble. Why should Gambit start carin' 'bout his heath now?" His hand stretched to her again, but this time he placed it gently over her hand. "I may be trouble, but I know dat you like me. Why would you come here if ya didn't?"

Rogue shifted her legs uncomfortably. She raised her eyes to meet Gambit's. The warmth she felt from them almost made her knees weak. "Ah just don't understand. You could have anybody. Why me?"

"Why not? I could t'ink of a million t'ings you got dat other girls ain't got."

"Yeah, one that's especially important: scary mutant power that hurts anyone who touches me."

"Look," he said finally, "If you don' stop dis, yoh food's gonna get cold."

She looked down at the table. She had forgotten all about the dinner. _Ah'm an asshole,_ she thought remorsefully. _Of course Ah gotta go an ruin a perfectly good moment because Ah'm scareder than shit that he's gonna break mah heart._ Rogue nodded and picked up her spoon once more. "Y'r right. Sorry. Ah should appreciate all ya've set up here."

"Remy just want you t' have a good time." He grinned. Rogue loved it when he smiled like that. It was so damned… charming… sexy. He really had no idea how much she wanted him. He'd never know that when she chided him for his male hormones she was really chiding herself. She'd dreamed him so many times… but they were only dreams. Rogue wondered briefly what kind of dreams he'd had about her. Did it kill him too? That they'd ever become reality?

But all this thinking was seriously putting her in a funk. Rogue sighed and gulped down the champagne that, until that moment, had remained untouched. A warm, giddy feeling crept over her almost immediately. And it tasted… delicious! It definitely was not _Korbel_. "How much did this cost?" Rogue asked. "Ah mean, this is _champagne_. You know, real champagne with grapes stomped by French feet. Not that sparklin' wine crap."

"Oui, chere," he said smoothly. "It's from France. And it cost about… oh, I dunno, mebbe ninety bucks?"

Her eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. "Ninety dollars f'r champagne?! How could you afford this?! What is Magneto payin' you?! Maybe Ah should go back to him."

"O' course, Gambit got de five-finger discount…"

"You stole it?"

"_Absolument_. Remy ain't twenty-one. How else would I get aholda dat?"

"T' tell ya the truth, Ah'm a little tipsy already…" Rogue studied her empty glass curiously. "Ah mean, _damn_…"

He lifted his glass in mock-salute. "Looks like Remy got a little catchin' up t' do."

The meal continued in comfortable silence until Rogue suddenly inquired about Kitty's date with Colossus. Gambit smiled. "Oh, 'm sure de Tin Can is charmin' her pants off."

"Ah hope that was unintentional," she snapped. "The last thang Ah want is f'r Kitty's pants t' be comin' off f'r _any_ guy."

He refilled their glasses and gave her a smoldering look. "An you, chere? Yoh pants comin' off anytime soon?"

"Oh, come on!" She usually responded to his shameless flirting with such disdain, but this time was different. The comment stung. What did he think he was accomplishing? Words, however flattering, did not change the fact that Rogue could never have the intimacy he insinuated. "Ah already told ya, Cajun. That's just _not possible!_"

"Who said we had t' be touchin' anyt'in'? Dat's nice an all, but sometimes it be over-rated. Me, I like lookin', chere, 'specially when you be lookin' so good." He chuckled. "_Damn_. I still can't get dat image of you in yoh undies outta my head."

Rogue lifted a spoon to her lips, glad that eating would excuse her silence. But Gambit wasn't fooled. "What I mean is," he continued, "mebbe dere are other ways of doin' normal boyfriend and girlfriend t'ings, ya know? We could try dem." Rogue bristled, but he continued. "I wanna help you get over dis. I wanna show you dat it ain't impossible t' be happy."

"Remy…"

He took her hand and kissed the top of it. But he did not let go. "I may not be de perfect man. 'm selfish and immoral. I work foh de enemy. But…" Rogue's chest hitched in fear and anticipation. "I t'ink you one o' de most beautiful, most interestin' girl I've ever met. It's been a fun chase. You tough t' catch. But I don' wanna be runnin' 'round no more. I want an answer, Rogue. Forget yoh powers. Forget yoh teammates. I wanna be wit' you. What do you want?"

She had not expected this. Gambit was _never_ serious. "You see, de t'ing is…" A shrill, polyphonic ring cut Remy off. He made a face a dug for the cell phone in his pocket. "Damn t'ings are perfect foh ruinin' de moment." He smiled apologetically and reached for the silent button. Then his expression darkened. "Actually, dis might be important…" He flipped open the device. "_Bonjour_. Bobby? Wait, hold on. I can't understand when you talk dat fast. Calm down and tell me what happened from de beginnin'. Dey WHAT?! When?! O' course Remy's comin'. Well, yeah, I know, but I can't just ignore dis. He's still _mon pere. Oui, je sais _(I know)_._ I'll be dere as soon as I can. _Oui. Au revoir._"

"What was that about?" Rogue asked as Remy closed the phone and returned it to his pocket.

"My father's been kidnapped," he said. "Dat was my brother. Says dat whoever did it left a note specifically addressed t' me."

"What are you gonna do?"

Remy frowned, pulled out his signature deck of cards, and stared at the face card, the ace of clubs, for several minutes before speaking again. "I gotta back dere. If dey came after _mon pere_ and left a note foh me when I been gone foh so long… dey targettin' me, dat's foh sure. Dat gives this whole situation a sense o' responsibility dat I can't ignore. If dey want Gambit t' save 'im, den dat's what he's gonna do." His brows furrowed as he pressed his lips together in frustration. "_Merde_ (Shit)!" he hissed. "I shoulda seen dis comin'. First Malick and Nicole... now dis... What de hell is goin' on in New Orleans?"

"What if it's a trap?" Rogue asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Dat can't be helped if dey de ones layin' out de deck," he replied morosely. "An it probably is a trap."

"When are ya leavin'?" Of course something like this would happen. The moment Remy LeBeau finally declared his love for her in such a clear yet tender way it just had to be interrupted by some personal crisis. She would have laughed at the irony if she wasn't so upset. He had just asked her to stay with him, but now he wanted to leave her? It just wasn't fair! Not that Rogue's life had ever been "fair"… it was just harder to swallow now that things had finally started to look up.

"As soon as I can. Dere's no tellin' what'll happen if I don' do somet'ing."

"Ah'm comin' with you."

The words escaped her lips on impulse, yet once she said them, she knew that she couldn't take them back. Rogue didn't want to just sit around in the X-Mansion while Gambit embarked on some personal and most likely dangerous journey. How dare he even think that he could just steal her heart like that, and then walk away the next day! The unwarranted thought of his ex-love, Belladonna, crept into her head and turned her assertion into a pledge of stone. Remy would leave with her, or not at all!

Gambit, however, did not agree. "_Non_," he said sharply. "You stay here. It's dangerous. 'Sides, don' you have school? How ya gonna graduate when ya miss class?"

"How am Ah gonna concentrate when Ah'm scared t' death that y'r in danger?" she retorted. "Don't ya dare tell me t' stay here, Cajun! Not after all ya said tonight. You wanna be with me? Then take me with you!"

"_Non_," he repeated. "Dis is somet'ing dat Remy has t' do _alone._"

"_Remy Lebeau,_" Rogue began in a tone that would freeze the hearts of even the bravest of men, "If you think, even f'r a second, that Ah'd let you go t' New Orleans and leave me with a month of kitchen detail and Logan sessions that, need Ah remind you, _is all y'r fault, _then you are outta y'r _God damned mind_!" She slammed her palms down on the table and rose in one swift, angry movement. "So, please, Ah dare ya, say it again. Say y'r gonna just go off somewhere and leave me here."

He opened his mouth, but closed it when he saw the fire burning in her eyes. Rogue was not someone you could expect to best in any argument. Besides… maybe she was right. Perhaps he had acted callously when he had asked her for her companionship only to leave her to next day. But the kidnapping was a LeBeau problem, or, more importantly, a Thieves Guild problem. The fact that the culprit knew Gambit was Jean-Luc's son worried him. What if they knew more? What if they began targeting other members of the LeBeau family? Or, even worse, Rogue? He would be putting Rogue in danger by allowing her to tag along. What if his father's kidnapper decided to kidnap Rogue, too? That would put him at a decided disadvantage…

"Ah know what y'r thinkin', so just don't think it. Weren't you just sayin' that you were a big boy, that you didn't mind bein' in danger? So what makes you think you can make decisions for me, huh? Ah said Ah'm comin' with you. It's mah choice. Ah never said it was up f'r discussion."

Gambit looked up, surprised to see Rogue hovering just above him and leaning so that her breasts were situated directly in his line of vision. "Don't make me show you what y'r gonna miss," she purred. He nearly choked as she leaned forward and manuevered her arms in a way that forced her cleavage to increase exponentially. "If words ain't gonna work, sugah, Ah have other ways of _persuasion_…"

"Y'r de devil," he groaned, not one to argue with that type of rhetoric.

Rogue grinned and terminated operation-seductress. "Then it's settled. We'll leave tonight. Ah'll have to leave a note so the rest of the mansion doesn't worry… Ah'm sure Ah'll be in _big_ trouble when Ah get back, but Ah'm hopin' at least some of the X-Men will understand."

"And what about school?"

"Ah'm sure the Prof can invent some excuse for my absence. He's done it before." She paused, wincing. "Well, that's assumin' he ain't livid about me leavin' before Ah even serve my 'punishment'."

"Looks like we got a bit of packin' and plannin' t' do, chere. Hows about a toast?" He lifted up his champagne glass and pondered to what exactly they should toast. Rogue raised her glass absently. "T' family," he decided finally, "love 'em or hate 'em, dey still yoh family, right, chere?"

Rogue giggled, thinking about her "family" at the X-Mansion. She could only imagine the shenanigans going on at that moment or the chaos that would ensue once everyone learned of her absence. She'd be lucky if Wolverine didn't track them down and slice Gambit into a million pieces. "Absolutely," she said.

Their classes clinked. A new journey lay ahead of them. Who was the kidnapper? What was their motive? Remy LeBeau could only speculate. He only hoped that he wouldn't get in over his head, especially with Rogue around. He knew she was one hell of a fighter, but he also worried that the kidnapper, who held Gambit's father for ransom and left a teasing note, might not exactly be fighting fair. Rogue might be targeted too. But they were in this together now. Remy knew there was no changing Rogue's mind. _Girl's stubborn as a mule_, he thought before downing his glass.

~Fin… for now. For a second-helping of Romyness, watch for the sequel, King of Hearts, which will hopefully coming soon to .

Author's Note: I'm truly sorry for the extreme hiatus. I had writer's block for such a long time, and then I came to college and forgot all about fan fiction and my love for X-Men Evolution. But one day, while bored at work, I stumbled upon this unfinished chapter and decided to pick up from where I had left off. Gambit's family problem has been slightly ripped off from an episode with a dilemma eerily similar to this one, except with my own little twist – mainly that the X-Men don't come in and rescue them. Because this story seemed to wander with no plot but Romy mush, and because I wrote too much about Rogue and not enough about Gambit's past and family, the rest of the fic will take place in New Orleans under a different title. A sequel, you could say? I also plan to write more Gambit POV than what I've written previously – part of the reason why the second piece is called "King of Hearts". You'll see how Gambit is dealing with his relationship and his family issues. Just to warn you – I can only update when I have free time, which, when I attend college and work, is very rare. I do plan to update, but I know those waiting several years for this will meet my promise with skepticism.

Also, I wanted to say that although the story will be in a new setting with new characters, several of your favorites will show up. If you think Rogue was pissed that Remy would leave without her, wait until you see who can't stand to be apart from our favorite couple.

Don't worry, though. I thoroughly believe that all things ROMY will persevere. Until next time…

Love,

Free


End file.
